Times have changed.<\/p>\n
With the technology and style of basketball sneakers continuing to elevate with each passing year, it gets more and more complicated to compare the shoes of this decade to past silhouettes. Much like when people try to compare a player of this generation to a player of the 90s, it’s difficult – different times, different competition and different rules.<\/p>\n
Yet, there are some instances in which the comparisons, sneaker-wise, are in fact clear, apparent and in some cases surprising. Today, we compare some of the basketball sneaker stars of today and yesteryear.<\/p>\n
There’s no denying the fact that Michael Jordan’s signature shoe line changed the entire sneaker industry for the better. It was easily the most popular shoe brand of the 90s, let alone of all time. In today’s game, LeBron James holds that title. The King James line is undeniably the most prominent and favorable signature series in the game today.<\/p>\n
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Charles Barkley and Kevin Durant are complete opposites. The former is the epitome of a power player, while KD is one of the most finesse players to ever pick up a ball. Sir Charles attracts attention by saying, “I am not a role model,” while the mild-mannered Durant deflects the spotlight by labeling his mom the “real MVP.” Gozilla vs. Durantula. Yet, their signature lines share similarities. Three of Barkley’s shoes – the Nike Air Force Max CB, the Nike Air Max CB ’94 and the Nike Air Max CB34 – featured supportive straps of some sort. The former’s crisscrossed strap was classic, the CB ’94 featured elastic straps over the instep and the CB34 possessed an iconic midfoot strap. In the same manner, a strap has been incorporated on three of Durant’s signature shoes. KD’s second signature shoe was equipped with a midfoot strap, while the beloved KD IV was introduced with the Adaptive Fit strap. Most recently, the latest in Durant’s line, the KD VII, was also constructed with a midfoot strap.<\/p>\n
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The greatness of Michael Jordan’s signature line sometimes overshadowed Scottie Pippen’s underrated shoe legacy. Nike created a few impressive sneakers for MJ’s ‘Robin’ that were overlooked and are still slept on to this day. With whispers of Kyrie Irving being awarded a signature line starting this season, we could possibly see a great series of shoes getting overlooked by LeBron James’ line, one of the most imposing sequence of shoes ever created.<\/p>\n
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Back when signatures shoes were as common shooting sleeves, the likes of Alonzo Mourning, Kevin Johnson, Chris Webber and Tim Hardaway\u00a0graced the hardwood in shoes that featured their initials. Yet, those players received two or less signature shoes. These days, players, such as Carmelo Anthony, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, have nine or more shoes under their belt, but there’s one modern-day player who had a short-lived signature shoe run. Brandon Jennings, Detroit’s southpaw, was given two signature shoes (which didn’t feature his name) during the years of 2010 and 2011.<\/p>\n
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When compiling a list of the top 15 players during the 90s, you have to create a slot for Reggie Miller. The same can be said about Dirk Nowitzki during the 2000s. Both, clutch performers, are among the best players at their positions of all time, and, while Miller has already solidified his Hall of Fame positioning, Nowitzki will undoubtedly be a first-ballot Hall of Famer at the end of his career.\u00a0Both are arguably the two best players of their generations not to receive a signature shoe.<\/p>\n
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Sheryl Swoopes, arguably the best female basketball player ever, broke ground by becoming the\u00a0first female<\/span>\u00a0player to get her own signature model\u2014 the\u00a0<\/span>Nike<\/span>\u00a0Air\u00a0<\/span>Swoopes<\/span>. She went on to have a long-term partnership with Nike, which saw the release of five more shoes with her name attached to them. While a signature line has not yet been created for Maya Moore, the game’s best female basketball player today, she has unquestionably broke ground of her own by becoming the\u00a0first\u00a0female basketball player to join the\u00a0Jordan Brand. That’s huge.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The design of the Penny Hardaway’s Nike Air Foamposite One was so contrasting compared to the conventional method of using leather and rubber. It was truly innovative in many facets from the material used to the technology to the appearance. The same can be said about the Eric Avar-designed Nike Zoom Kobe IV. Before Bryant’s fourth signature shoe was released, the thought of playing basketball in a low-cut, soccer-inspired sneaker was unheard of. The Kobe IV\u00a0changed the game forever by\u00a0proving that an extremely light and low-cut profile sneaker could be just as supportive as a high-cut, heavy-duty construction.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Although David Robinson’s name is associated with some of Nike’s most classic basketball shoes, he was never officially granted a signature shoe of his own. The Nike Air Unlimited, the Nike Air Force STS and the and the Nike Air Command Force are just a few of the shoes that are strongly affiliated with The Admiral. Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook is seemingly following down the same path. 10 years from now, the latest flagship signatures from Jordan Brand – the Air Jordan XX8, the Air Jordan XX9 and so forth – might be considered the “Russell Westbrooks” to many.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Michael Jordan\/LeBron James comparison shows up for the second time on this list. Nike has created King James an impressive 12 shoes before the two-time NBA Champion’s 30 birthday. Michael Jordan, who currently has 29 flagship signature sneakers attached to his name, had eight by the age of 30.\u00a0Could King James ultimately top MJ’s quantity?<\/p>\n Allen Iverson has the second longest signature line to date, and it’s still growing despite the fact that he has retired as well. The Reebok Answer XIV is the latest in his line to show face.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n During Dennis Rodman’s five-team NBA career, he represented three different shoe brands: Nike, Reebok and Converse. He split time between Nike and Reebok silhouettes during his Detroit days, exclusively played in Nike during his Spurs years and played in both Nike and Converse during his Chicago Bulls stint, before solely wearing Converse during his latter years in the league.<\/p>\n While not playing for as many teams, Kevin Garnett performed in a number of brands as well. During the earlier days in his career, KG sported Air Jordan player exclusives, Flightposites and a couple of Nike signature sneakers. He later switched to adidas before Anta, his current sneaker provider.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ray Allen has the best player exclusives as a Sonic, and he has the best player exclusives today. If Jesus Shuttlesworth retires, he will be remembered for having the best player exclusives ever. Period.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Times have changed. With the technology and style of basketball sneakers continuing to elevate with each passing year, it gets…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":149,"featured_media":400150,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1219126],"tags":[1225537],"cultivate_rss":[],"class_list":{"2":"type-post"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe\u00a0Most Innovative Signature Line<\/h1>\n
The ‘Affiliate’<\/h1>\n
The\u00a0Longest-Tenured Signature Line<\/h1>\n
The ‘Brand Switcher’<\/h1>\n
The\u00a0PE King<\/h1>\n