{"id":403909,"date":"2014-09-11T15:53:24","date_gmt":"2014-09-11T20:53:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/?p=403909"},"modified":"2022-09-14T03:10:57","modified_gmt":"2022-09-14T08:10:57","slug":"throwback-thursday-nike-air-zoom-generation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/throwback-thursday-nike-air-zoom-generation\/","title":{"rendered":"Throwback Thursday: Nike Air Zoom Generation"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Back again with the latest installment of Throwback Thursday, this week we went into the Snkrs Day vault to find the first signature model of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/tag\/lebron-james\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">LeBron James<\/a>, the<strong> Nike Air Zoom Generation<\/strong>. After the video, click through the pages to explore how the Nike Air Zoom Generation came to fruition.<br \/>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"700\" height=\"357\" frameborder=\"0\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/WGSwTyRQBYc\"><\/iframe><br \/>\n<!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h2>King James<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/tag\/lebron-james\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>LeBron James<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0was crowded King before he ever signed his first deal with Cleveland. His stardom came while he was still in\u00a0high school.\u00a0Utilizing his\u00a0unique\u00a0blend of size, athleticism\u00a0and, skill the young man from Akron, OH is still one of the best high school players of all time.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h2>Bidding War<\/h2>\n<p>From the time James\u00a0announced that he&#8217;ll enter the 2003 NBA draft, ever footwear\u00a0brand clamored at the opportunity to have LeBron represent their brand. As most of us know, the young king\u00a0opted to go with Nike to sign a 7-year, 90-million dollar contract.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h2>The Design of the Nike Air Zoom Generation<\/h2>\n<p>Quickly after signing the young super star, \u00a0Nike began the process of designing the <strong>Nike Air Zoom Generation<\/strong>. With a design team was led by Aaron Cooper, the assistance of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/tag\/tinker-hatfield\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tinker Hatfield<\/a>\u00a0, Eric Avar and LeBron&#8217;s Hummer H2 as a muse, the Nike Air Zoom Generation was created. The silhouette incorporated a mirror heel tab, concealed logos and varied word-marks that acted as a direct homage to the once popular vehicle. In regards to its performance, the Nike AZG incorporates full-length zoom, heel stabilizer and inner sock-liner for a great feel on court.<\/p>\n From right to left: Aaron Cooper, Tinker Hatfield, and Erick Avar.\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h2>Stellar Rookie Season<\/h2>\n<p>On October 29, 2003, LeBron James made\u00a0his NBA debut as a Cleveland Cavaliers, facing off against the Sacramento Kings. With all eyes on him during his first game, LeBron delivered a great performance, the young prodigy finished with 25 points, 9 assists and 6 rebounds.<\/p>\n<p>LeBron&#8217;s stellar first game was merely a sign of things to come, as we saw King James go on to win Rookie of The Year. \u00a0Rocking numerous colorways along the way, King James&#8217; first signature was one of the best performance shoes of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/tag\/lebron-james-shoes\/\">Nike LeBron<\/a> line.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h2>Legacy of the\u00a0Nike Air Zoom Generation<\/h2>\n<p>It&#8217;s been well over a decade since the release of the <strong>Nike Air Zoom Generation<\/strong> and even with in the last year we&#8217;ve seen various ball players rock the Nike AZG. \u00a0On the collegiate level\u00a0Jamaal Franklin, former player of San Diego State sported the <strong>Wheat<\/strong> color way while Ex-Arizona high flyer Nick Johnson sported the <strong>White\/Black and Varsity Crimson<\/strong>. We even saw the Air Zoom Generation get some action on the NBA floor donned by the 2014 Kicks on Court Champ Nick Young and Norris Cole, a teammate of LeBron during his stint in Miami.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h2>Nike Air Zoom Generation Retro?<\/h2>\n<p>With the King returning to his throne in Cleveland this off-season, it&#8217;ll be interesting to see if Nike decides to retro the Nike Air Zoom Generation in the near future. \u00a0Be sure to let us know how you feel in the comment section below or via twitter, thanks for checking out this week&#8217;s <a title=\"Nicekicks started Throwback Thursday\" href=\"http:\/\/recode.net\/2014\/05\/01\/throwing-back-to-the-origins-of-throwback-thursday\/\">Throwback Thursday<\/a>\u00a0featuring the Nike Air Zoom Generation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Back again with the latest installment of Throwback Thursday, this week we went into the Snkrs Day vault to find&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":149,"featured_media":403913,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1224791,1225493,1219126,34],"tags":[117,1203859,1205011,1225484],"cultivate_rss":[],"class_list":{"2":"type-post"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.0 (Yoast SEO v24.0) - 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