{"id":418391,"date":"2014-12-03T12:30:50","date_gmt":"2014-12-03T17:30:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/?p=418391"},"modified":"2020-03-28T11:25:56","modified_gmt":"2020-03-28T15:25:56","slug":"step-back-history-nba-players-revisiting-old-signatures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/step-back-history-nba-players-revisiting-old-signatures\/","title":{"rendered":"The Step Back: A History of NBA Players Revisiting Old Signatures"},"content":{"rendered":"

words \/\/ Ian Stonebrook:<\/span><\/p>\n

Having a signature shoe is an accolade only the most elite and charismatic of athletes can claim. For years, having the latest, greatest model was something to pine for amongst athletes and fans alike, mainly do to innovation perks and the historically cool ‘new’ factor. While the retro wave has created an increased appetite for nostalgia, some fans and some players like going back to their old shoes for comfort and colorway reasons. With Kevin Durant making his hardwood comeback in a signature shoe of yesteryear, we too revisit a history of NBA stars that have gone back to past models of their namesake.<\/span><\/p>\n

Michael Jordan<\/h2>\n Michael Jordan in the Air Jordan 1 1995 Retro\n Michael Jordan in the Air Jordan 3 “True Blue” & Black\/Cement\n Michael Jordan in the Air Jordan 9 “Cool Grey” (image via Sneaker News<\/a>)\n Michael Jordan in the Air Jordan 11 “Cool Grey” (image via Underground Soles<\/a>)\n

Kicks:<\/strong> Air Jordan 1 White\/Red-Black, Air Jordan 3 “True Blue,” Air Jordan 9 “Cool Grey,” & Air Jordan 11 “Cool Grey”<\/p>\n

For his last game (as a Bull) in MSG, Mike went back to the Air Jordan 1<\/strong> merely for nostalgia, surprising fans on TV in the pre-social media era. As a Wizard, the retro wave was finally booming and his signature series was somewhat in flux do to his surprise comeback. A variety of retro releases played well to lowkey promo for the retro line while meshing well with his D.C. threads.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Scottie Pippen<\/h2>\n Scottie Pippen in the Nike Air Pippen 2 PE (image via Sounds White On the Phone<\/a>)\n

Kicks:<\/strong> Nike Air Pippen 2 PE<\/p>\n

The Nike Air Pippen line doesn’t get near as much as love it should. Smooth and fluid, just like Pip’s game, his signature series is slept on to say the least. Nevertheless, during his run in Portland, the swingman surprised sneakerheads by going back to the Nike Air Pippen 2<\/strong>. This PE colorway would make a nice bring-black for Blazers fans in the know.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Kobe Bryant<\/h2>\n Kobe Bryant in the adidas The Kobe 1 PE (image via NBA.com)\n photo by Harry How\/Getty Images via Zimbio<\/a>\n

Kicks:<\/strong> adidas The Kobe 1 PE, Nike Zoom Kobe 1<\/p>\n

Kobe Bryant saw a lot of signatures and marquee models while with adidas. When it came to winning time though, it was all about adidas The Kobe 1<\/strong>. Despite seeing new drops made with his name or game in mind, Jelly Bean Jr. wore or went back to the adidas The Kobe 1 for each of his three championship winning Finals runs. Since switching to Nike, he’s remained loyal to his signature of the moment, but promotion has seen one exception. Last season he flirted with nostalgia, rocking the Prelude Pack colorway of the Nike Zoom Kobe 1<\/strong> for a regular season game.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Gary Payton<\/h2>\n Gary Payton in the Nike Zoom Flight ’98 The Glove PE (image via Palm Beach Post<\/a>)\n

Kicks:<\/strong> Nike Zoom Flight ’98 The Glove PE<\/p>\n

Who doesn’t love the Glove? While Payton’s signature series is slept on in a similar fashion to Pip’s, the trash-talking point guard also doesn’t mind taking it back to his old shoes. During his last hurrah with the Miami Heat, GP won his first ring wearing PE versions of the Nike Zoom Flight ’98 The Glove<\/strong> in team hues that never released originally. Since then, we’ve seen retros that draw from but still differentiate from this same theme.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Alonzo Mourning<\/h2>\n Alonzo Mourning in the Nike Air Alonzo PE (image via Palm Beach Post<\/a>)\n

Kicks:<\/strong> Nike Air Alonzo PE<\/p>\n

The common thread appears to be that once you reach a certain age you know what you like. For Alonzo Mourning, his run with the Nets and second stint with the Heat saw him going back to his first and only signature, the Nike Air Alonzo<\/strong>. Updated in special color blocking that was even better than the OGs, it’s hard to believe a retro will ever happen, but it’d be pretty cool if it did.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Allen Iverson<\/h2>\n Allen Iverson in the Reebok Question (image via Hoopedia<\/a>)\n

Kicks:<\/strong> Reebok Question<\/p>\n

Everyone loves the Reebok Question<\/strong>, and Allen Iverson is no exception. After selling out in Philly upon its initial launch, the model remained in retail rotation for years to come. While the original plan was for AI to go back to wearing the Question for every All-Star Game, his rising signature line somewhat halted those plans. Still, Bubba Chuck went back to the Question in a Nuggets colorway when dealt to Denver and even laced up his iconic first model when playing recently in China.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Jason Kidd<\/h2>\n Jason Kidd in the Nike Air Zoom Flight V (photo by Layne Murdoch\/Getty Images via Zimbio<\/a>)\n

Kicks:<\/strong> Nike Air Zoom Flight V<\/p>\n

A flourishing face of the Flight Camp, Jason Kidd got his first signature during his first run with the Dallas Mavericks and early days with the Phoenix Suns in the form of the Nike Air Zoom Flight V<\/strong>. Bouncing around brands but typically rocking the latest Nikes, Kidd went back to the Zoom Flight V during his time with the New Jersey Nets, second stint with the Mavs and his final season with the Knicks, bringing out colorways of the PE and retro variety.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

LeBron James<\/h2>\n LeBron James in the Nike Zoom LeBron VI “Fairfax”\n LeBron James in the Nike LeBron X (photo by Mike Ehrmann\/Getty Images via Zimbio<\/a>)\n

Kicks:<\/strong> Nike Zoom LeBron VI, Nike LeBron X<\/p>\n

Before King James made his real return to Cleveland, he honored his legacy there by bringing out the “Fairfax” colorway of the Nike Zoom LeBron VI<\/strong> in an away game against the Cavs years after the model first released. In regard to wearing old signatures, LeBron is probably best known for playing the majority of the 2013-14 season in the Nike LeBron X<\/strong> as opposed to that year’s LeBron 11 model.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Kevin Durant<\/h2>\n Kevin Durant in a Nike KD VI PE (photo by Stacy Revere\/Getty Images via Zimbio<\/a>)\n

Kicks:<\/strong> Nike KD VI<\/p>\n

Last night, Kevin Durant made his return to the hardwood in a PE pair of the Nike KD VI<\/strong>. While the Nike KD 7 is the current model on the market for Durant and the shoe he got hurt in, it should be noted that KD and many players across the league wore the KD VI all last season. Even with an Elite model made for the postseason last year, KD still seemed to favor the inline KD VI.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

words \/\/ Ian Stonebrook: Having a signature shoe is an accolade only the most elite and charismatic of athletes can…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2415,"featured_media":418472,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"cultivate_rss":[],"class_list":{"2":"type-post"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Step Back: A History of NBA Players Revisiting Old Signatures | Snkrs Day<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Snkrs Day takes a look back at signature athletes in the NBA who have returned to wearing their old signature shoes.\" \/>\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\/step-back-history-nba-players-revisiting-old-signatures\/\" \/>\n<link rel=\"next\" href=\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/step-back-history-nba-players-revisiting-old-signatures\/2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Step Back: A History of NBA Players Revisiting Old Signatures\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Snkrs Day takes a look back at signature athletes in the NBA who have returned to wearing their old signature shoes.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/step-back-history-nba-players-revisiting-old-signatures\/\" \/>\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=\"2014-12-03T17:30:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-03-28T15:25:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/files\/2014\/12\/old-signature-feature.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"750\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Ian Stonebrook\" \/>\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=\"Ian Stonebrook\" \/>\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\/step-back-history-nba-players-revisiting-old-signatures\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/step-back-history-nba-players-revisiting-old-signatures\/\",\"name\":\"The Step Back: A History of NBA Players Revisiting Old Signatures | Snkrs Day\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/step-back-history-nba-players-revisiting-old-signatures\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/step-back-history-nba-players-revisiting-old-signatures\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/files\/2014\/12\/old-signature-feature.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2014-12-03T17:30:50+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-03-28T15:25:56+00:00\",\"description\":\"Snkrs Day takes a look back at signature athletes in the NBA who have returned to wearing their old signature shoes.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/step-back-history-nba-players-revisiting-old-signatures\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/step-back-history-nba-players-revisiting-old-signatures\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/step-back-history-nba-players-revisiting-old-signatures\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/files\/2014\/12\/old-signature-feature.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/files\/2014\/12\/old-signature-feature.jpg\",\"width\":750,\"height\":400,\"caption\":\"The Step Back: A History of NBA Players Revisiting Old Signatures\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/step-back-history-nba-players-revisiting-old-signatures\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"News\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"News\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/\",\"name\":\"Snkrs Day\",\"description\":\"Sneakers News. Culture. Community.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Snkrs Day\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/files\/2020\/10\/nice-box-400-225.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/files\/2020\/10\/nice-box-400-225.png\",\"width\":400,\"height\":225,\"caption\":\"Snkrs Day\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/NiceKicks\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/nicekicks\",\"http:\/\/www.instagram.com\/nicekicks\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/asnkrsdaya\",\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@snkrsday\",\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/nicekicks\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Step Back: A History of NBA Players Revisiting Old Signatures | Snkrs Day","description":"Snkrs Day takes a look back at signature athletes in the NBA who have returned to wearing their old signature shoes.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/step-back-history-nba-players-revisiting-old-signatures\/","next":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/step-back-history-nba-players-revisiting-old-signatures\/2\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Step Back: A History of NBA Players Revisiting Old Signatures","og_description":"Snkrs Day takes a look back at signature athletes in the NBA who have returned to wearing their old signature shoes.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/step-back-history-nba-players-revisiting-old-signatures\/","og_site_name":"Snkrs Day","article_publisher":"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/snkrsday","article_published_time":"2014-12-03T17:30:50+00:00","article_modified_time":"2020-03-28T15:25:56+00:00","og_image":[{"width":750,"height":400,"url":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/files\/2014\/12\/old-signature-feature.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Ian Stonebrook","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@snkrsday","twitter_site":"@snkrsday","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Ian Stonebrook","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":["WebPage","ItemPage"],"@id":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/step-back-history-nba-players-revisiting-old-signatures\/","url":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/step-back-history-nba-players-revisiting-old-signatures\/","name":"The Step Back: A History of NBA Players Revisiting Old Signatures | Snkrs Day","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/step-back-history-nba-players-revisiting-old-signatures\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/step-back-history-nba-players-revisiting-old-signatures\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/files\/2014\/12\/old-signature-feature.jpg","datePublished":"2014-12-03T17:30:50+00:00","dateModified":"2020-03-28T15:25:56+00:00","description":"Snkrs Day takes a look back at signature athletes in the NBA who have returned to wearing their old signature shoes.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/step-back-history-nba-players-revisiting-old-signatures\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/step-back-history-nba-players-revisiting-old-signatures\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/step-back-history-nba-players-revisiting-old-signatures\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/files\/2014\/12\/old-signature-feature.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/files\/2014\/12\/old-signature-feature.jpg","width":750,"height":400,"caption":"The Step Back: A History of NBA Players Revisiting Old Signatures"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/step-back-history-nba-players-revisiting-old-signatures\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"News"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/","name":"Snkrs Day","description":"Sneakers News. Culture. Community.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/#organization","name":"Snkrs Day","url":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/files\/2020\/10\/nice-box-400-225.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/files\/2020\/10\/nice-box-400-225.png","width":400,"height":225,"caption":"Snkrs Day"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/snkrsday","https:\/\/x.com\/snkrsday","http:\/\/www.instagram.com\/snkrsday","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/asnkrsdaya","https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@snkrsday","http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/snkrsday"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/418391"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2415"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=418391"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/418391\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/418472"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=418391"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=418391"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=418391"},{"taxonomy":"cultivate_rss","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cultivate_rss?post=418391"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}