{"id":411365,"date":"2014-10-24T14:30:05","date_gmt":"2014-10-24T19:30:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/?p=411365"},"modified":"2022-09-17T13:02:11","modified_gmt":"2022-09-17T18:02:11","slug":"koc25-important-sneaker-stars-nba-history-5-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/koc25-important-sneaker-stars-nba-history-5-1\/","title":{"rendered":"#KOC25: The Most Important Sneaker Stars in NBA History (5-1)"},"content":{"rendered":"

This week, we’ve been counting down The Most Important Sneaker Stars in NBA History<\/strong> as part of our #KOC25<\/strong> series. Starting with Rasheed Wallace at the #25 spot and later highlighting the likes of Grant Hill, Allen Iverson and LeBron James, we’ve finally reached the top five. Who did we deem the five most important players in NBA history from a sneaker standpoint? Read on to find out and give us your feedback on social media with the hashtag #KOC25<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

5. Walt Frazier<\/h2>\n photo via ProHoopsHistory<\/a>\n

Walt Frazier<\/strong> is the NBA\u2019s original fashion icon. Long before NBA Style was a thing, Frazier was a style icon both on court and off court. Fittingly, the PUMA Clyde<\/strong> was accepted on and off court, not because it was a revolutionary shoe but because Frazier wore it. After attaching Frazier’s name to the Clyde, the shoe became an undeniable big hit. As far as popularity, the Clyde was as popular as Air Jordans are today. As one of the first players ever to literally have his name attached to a shoe, Frazier broke ground and is one of the most important sneaker stars in the history of the NBA.<\/p>\n

For one of the first ads Frazier did for PUMA, he was dressed in a mink coat, a wide-brim hat and PUMA Clydes. Ironically, that\u2019s how the athletes dress today \u2013 a dressed-up look with sneakers.<\/p>\n

The Clyde is fashion, and fashion is the Clyde.<\/p>\n

-George Kiel III<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

4. Penny Hardaway<\/h2>\n photo via Uproxx<\/a>\/The Grand Archives<\/a>\n

He’s not a star? Somebody lied. In his prime, Penny Hardaway<\/strong> was putting buckets on Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen– in the playoffs. The slender swingman turned point guard had flash like Magic and a two-guard’s jump shot. He could boom on the best of them and break the press just the same. On the court, there was pretty much no limits to what Penny could do and who he could do it to. Even so, the majority of fans remember less about what he did and more about what he did it in.<\/p>\n

For six seasons and five signature shoes, Penny Hardaway was an often All-Star and a fixture in footwear. His four-part Nike Air Penny<\/strong> line launched some of the most memorable designs and ad campaigns ever created. As an unexpected intermission, Penny took a chance with Eric Avar on a blue-based shoe seemingly from the future. The Nike Air Foamposite One<\/strong> changed the game forever and brought a level of innovation that’s still striking today.<\/p>\n

Penny’s prime was short, but his legacy lives on forever through his sneakers. In retro life, “Orlando” themed takes on the likes of the Nike Air Go LWP<\/strong> and Nike Air Flight One<\/strong> have proven worthy of a second run based on Penny popularity alone. Even with current signature stars on the rise, the Foamposite<\/strong> franchise remains the only shoe series that can consistently compete with Air Jordans. In the malls or in Kicks On Court, Penny has proven to be one of the most powerful players in the sneaker game both then and now.<\/p>\n

-Ian Stonebrook<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

3. Nick Young<\/h2>\n photo by Maddie Meyer\/Getty Images via Zimbio<\/a>\n

Never has there been a non-signature shoe athlete with a greater effect on the younger generation. Everybody wants to be like Swaggy P<\/strong>. Why you ask? First off, the charismatic and lively Los Angeles native is extremely personable and resonates with the younger generation unlike many. Secondly, the fashion-forward Young practically started a trend on the basketball court in regards to sneakers.<\/p>\n

Over the past few years, Young has shown the willingness to wear pretty much any kind of basketball shoe on the court. Not only do you see kids all over the nation choosing fashion over function, but even a number of NBA players have followed suit.<\/p>\n

-George Kiel III<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

2. Kobe Bryant<\/h2>\n photo by Chris McGrath\/Getty Images via Zimbio<\/a>\n

When it comes to pushing the envelope, Kobe Bryant<\/strong> is that guy. There have been many stories about the two-time NBA scoring champion pushing Eric Avar and other Nike designers to create unparalleled Nike Basketball shoes for him, and it’s evident by his Nike Kobe signature line<\/strong>. No other signature line in the history of shoes matches the design cues and aesthetics of Kobe’s shoes. Now Avar gets a lot of the credit and then some for this, but Kobe’s desire to be the best and different from everyone has a lot to do with it as well.<\/p>\n

The fact that he came to Nike and stressed the fact that he wanted a low-top shoe was game-changing. Low-top basketball shoes weren’t accepted on court six years ago, but now they’re everyone. Years from now (if you don’t already), we will appreciate the Black Mamba’s involvement in the design of his own shoes.<\/p>\n

-George Kiel III<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

1. Michael Jordan<\/h2>\n photo via HD Wallpapers<\/a>\n

Simply the best. While LeBron James and Kobe Bryant may contend with the G.O.A.T. in barbershop banter or made for TV debate, at the end of the day we all know Michael Jordan<\/strong> was the greatest to ever lace them up. Could said stars surpass his Airness one day? Anything’s possible, but we’re still putting our money on Money.<\/p>\n

To go through Michael Jordan’s career accolades or signature series in detail would be long-winded and never quite all encompassing. We all know about the six NBA Championships, we all know about the\u00a0Air Jordan 1<\/strong> getting banned, we’ve all seen the Air Jordan 3<\/strong> take off from the free-throw line and we all recognize the Air Jordan 11<\/strong> as the most popular basketball shoe ever created. We know, we know, we know.<\/p>\n

And still, while we all know every highlight by heart and every shoe down to the last detail, we still can’t get enough. Even over a decade past his final retirement, one could argue that the Air Jordan signature series is in the prime of its popularity. Off the court, grown men still get goosebumps when putting on a pair of Mikes while toddlers who can’t yet tie their shoes are pushed around in strollers wearing the work of Tinker Hatfield.<\/p>\n

Though labeled a lifestyle brand by many in 2014, there’s no downplaying the popularity of Air Jordans on court. This trend even proves true on the NBA hardwood. Millionaire athletes who are playing for their paycheck would rather rock retros than put their money on the latest performance pair. Kobe, LeBron and KD may be catching\u00a0up by some measures, but at the end of the day everybody still wants to be like Mike.<\/p>\n

-Ian Stonebrook<\/em><\/p>\n

This concludes our countdown of The Most Important Sneaker Stars in NBA History<\/strong>. Click here to see players 25-21, here for player 20-16,\u00a0here for players 15-11, and click here for players 10-6. Love the rankings? Hate the rankings? Let us know by sounding off on social media with the #KOC25<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This week, we’ve been counting down The Most Important Sneaker Stars in NBA History as part of our #KOC25 series.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4667,"featured_media":411489,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[835],"tags":[1225551,1225889],"cultivate_rss":[],"class_list":{"2":"type-post"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n#KOC25: The Most Important Sneaker Stars in NBA History (5-1) | Snkrs Day<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The #KOC25: The Most Important Sneaker Stars in NBA History countdown concludes with players 5 through 1.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/koc25-important-sneaker-stars-nba-history-5-1\/\" \/>\n<link rel=\"next\" href=\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/koc25-important-sneaker-stars-nba-history-5-1\/2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"#KOC25: The Most Important Sneaker Stars in NBA History (5-1)\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The #KOC25: The Most Important Sneaker Stars in NBA History countdown concludes with players 5 through 1.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/koc25-important-sneaker-stars-nba-history-5-1\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Snkrs Day\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/NiceKicks\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-10-24T19:30:05+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-09-17T18:02:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/files\/2014\/10\/koc25-top-5.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"700\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"357\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Snkrs Day\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@snkrsday\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@snkrsday\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Snkrs Day\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":[\"WebPage\",\"ItemPage\"],\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/koc25-important-sneaker-stars-nba-history-5-1\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/koc25-important-sneaker-stars-nba-history-5-1\/\",\"name\":\"#KOC25: The Most Important Sneaker Stars in NBA History (5-1) | Snkrs Day\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/koc25-important-sneaker-stars-nba-history-5-1\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/koc25-important-sneaker-stars-nba-history-5-1\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/files\/2014\/10\/koc25-top-5.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2014-10-24T19:30:05+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-09-17T18:02:11+00:00\",\"description\":\"The #KOC25: The Most Important Sneaker Stars in NBA History countdown concludes with players 5 through 1.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/koc25-important-sneaker-stars-nba-history-5-1\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/koc25-important-sneaker-stars-nba-history-5-1\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/koc25-important-sneaker-stars-nba-history-5-1\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/files\/2014\/10\/koc25-top-5.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/files\/2014\/10\/koc25-top-5.jpg\",\"width\":700,\"height\":357,\"caption\":\"#KOC25 The Most Important Sneaker Stars in NBA History\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/koc25-important-sneaker-stars-nba-history-5-1\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"News\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Kicks On Court\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/\",\"name\":\"Snkrs Day\",\"description\":\"Sneakers News. 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