Getty Images<\/a><\/em><\/p>\nGuys like Michael Jordan, Dominique Wilkins, Spud Webb and Vince Carter come to mind when thinking of the best participants to ever compete in the Slam Dunk Contest, but the competition was forever changed when a relatively unknown rookie by the name of Dee Brown<\/strong> took center stage in 1991. See, before Brown’s entrance in the Slam Dunk Contest, the competition was humorless and businesslike. There was no smiling and no signs of lightheartedness in the ’80s; MJ, ‘Nique and Spud competed aggressively as if it was a Game 7. The Dunk Contest was not fun. It was vying. That was the aura of the Dunk Contest until Brown changed the climate of the competition by exploiting his sneakers.<\/p>\nOn that special night in 1991, Brown altered the course of Reebok and caught the attention of many around the world when he reached down to pump up his Reebok Pump Omni Lite<\/strong> sneakers in between dunks. The crowd swayed Dee Brown’s way, and he immediately became synonymous with Reebok Pumps. Following that moment, a Reebok ad took up one whole page of USA Today that morning, he later received his own signature shoe, the subsequent calendar year was one of the only years Reebok outsold Jordans, and Michael Jordan himself peaked interest.<\/p>\nBrown brought about an exponential shift in marketing through the Dunk Contest for brands, and he was the first to bring more than just dunking to the overall showmanship of the competition. It’s because of Brown and his Pumps that jumping over Kia sedans, hurdling over motorcycles, blowing candles out on cupcakes in mid-air and overall crowd involvement is the standard today.<\/p>\n
-George Kiel III<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
19. Dwayne Wade<\/h2>\n all photos by Getty Images via Zimbio<\/em><\/p>\nThe entire basketball world sneaker community<\/del> took notice when Dwyane Wade<\/strong> surprisingly signed a shoe deal with Chinese footwear brand Li-Ning<\/strong> in 2012. Sure, China-based Anta received the services of Kevin Garnett in 2010 but to little reaction by the masses seeing that, although the highest paid player in the NBA at the time, he was past his prime of influencing through sneakers. The same can be said about Jason Kidd, who inked an endorsement deal with Chinese sportswear brand PEAK in 2008 following the Olympics.<\/p>\nContrarily, news of Wade’s move to Li-Ning was reported everywhere and rightfully so. For the first time, a Chinese apparel brand had signed an American basketball superstar who was still well within his prime at the age of 30. The move created a slight shift in power, gave players the option to build something on their own and potentially choose more money over partnering with a “cool” brand. But more importantly, shoe deals became something to really examine and follow.<\/p>\n
Since then, Tony Parker switched from Nike to PEAK and Rajon Rondo sided with Anta. Also, while Under Armour is in no way a lesser-known brand but still fairly new in the basketball market, it now has an MVP player in Stephen Curry on their roster and closely flirted with the signing of Kevin Durant last summer. Following shoe deals is a thing now, the power is shifting and you can somewhat credit Dwyane Wade’s move for this.<\/p>\n
-George Kiel III<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
18. Magic Johnson\/Larry Bird<\/h2>\n photo by Andrew D. Bernstein\/Getty Images\/NBA via 47 Brand\n Nobody’s lining up for a Converse Magic retro, and you can rest assure no one’s camping out for Larry Bird’s star stamped signature shoe. Still, Earvin from East Lansing and the Hick from French Lick carried Converse<\/strong> for an entire era on the strength of the Pro Leather<\/strong> and the Weapon<\/strong>.<\/p>\nOver the course of the ’80s, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird would battle for NBA championships and in turn split individual accolades while leading the two most famous franchises of their generation. Polar opposites in the personality department, their juxtaposition of Hollywood charm and country grit made for the decade’s greatest rivalry and a historic sneaker campaign. Their team color Converse sneakers appropriately tied more to team greatness than spotlight stardom, which ultimately was what the two competitors were all about anyway.<\/p>\n
While the two talents would serve as the gatekeepers for Michael Jordan’s greatness, Air Jordan would eventually breakthrough the old guard in every way imaginable. MJ would usher in a new wave of athleticism to the game along with the concept of the star-driven signature shoe that would make most other models obsolete in the ’90s. Though their Chevron branded sneakers don’t translate so well to the name-noted, candy colored kicks that rule today’s game, they were the gold standard for quality in the ’80s. Larry and Magic took Converse from canvas to the leather, bridging the gap between Chuck Taylor and REACT Juice in the decade that saved basketball.<\/p>\n
-Ian Stonebrook<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
17. Grant Hill<\/h2>\n There’s a reason FILA can release retro basketball shoes in the 2010s and that’s Grant Hill<\/strong>. Sure, Stackhouse had his share of sneakers with the company, but it was the Duke Blue Devil turned Detroit Piston that made the brand a player on the hardwood.<\/p>\nEarly in his career, Grant Hill was a hot as it gets. In his first two seasons, the promising point-forward led the league in All-Star Game votes, proving his popularity by beating out the likes of Shaquille O’Neal, Penny Hardaway and even Michael Jordan in fan support. His on-court credibility matched with his on-air likability made his FILA signature line an instant success, placing the Italian sportswear company in the same catalogs, conversations and rotations as established basketball brands. The FILA Grant Hill I<\/strong> carried Grant Hill through his co-Rookie of the Year campaign and first All-Star Game, with both the brand and the athlete avoiding the sophomore slump in the FILA Grant Hill II<\/strong>. The GH II would receive global endorsement via Grant’s play in the 1996 Olympic Games, also scoring crossover cool points when worn off-court by 2Pac.<\/p>\nWhile some may say that today’s sneaker game is all about standing out, it’s really not. Everybody signs with the same brands, the same color concepts are executed across the board and few athletes really take risks when establishing their own line. In the ’90s and early ’00s, Grant Hill did things differently by building with FILA. The partnership was fruitful for both parties, securing FILA a place in basketball history and making Grant Hill one of the most iconic signature stars to ever play the game.<\/p>\n
-Ian Stonebrook<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
16. Scottie Pippen<\/h2>\n To label Scottie Pippen<\/strong> a secondary star would be a mistake. To put his sneaker game in the same stature would also be a slight. Over the course of his career, the Silent Assassin<\/em> would prove the most war-ready of any of the Bulls MJ ran with, coming through in the clutch on both sides of the ball. Eight NBA All-Defensive First Team nods, seven NBA All-Star selections, six rings and two gold medals have Pip’s resume residing in the Basketball Hall of Fame. Sure, Pip didn’t win any rings without MJ. And no, MJ didn’t win any without Pip. Their two names and games are forever inseparable, but Nike knew they had two very separate stories to tell and sell in the Windy City.<\/p>\nAfter arriving on the scene in Avia, the Swoosh would soon scoop up Scottie and make him the face of the Flight Camp. As his star and stature would grow, Pip would be picked to spearhead the Nike Air Uptempo campaign. Over the course of his first nine seasons, #33 would make the likes of the Nike Air Up ’94<\/strong>, Nike Air Maestro II<\/strong>, Nike Air Max Uptempo<\/strong> and Nike Air More Uptempo<\/strong> his own, affectionately dubbed “The Pippens” by fans. It wasn’t until 1997 that Nike would give him a sneaker of his own namesake. The Nike Air Pippen<\/strong> series would span five models, with a sixth one recently released, pushing the star power of the swingman over the label of simply a wingman. Sleek, smooth and understated, the line would represent Pip’s persona and game in the likes of nubuck, tumbled leather and Morph Skin.<\/p>\nJust as Pippen would be known for supporting Mike on the court, he would support his sneaker line just the same, lacing the likes of the Air Jordan 10<\/strong> and Air Jordan 12<\/strong> on notable occasions. Still, it was his own game and ability to propel Nike Basketball’s best designs to the forefront that make Pip a Kicks On Court<\/em> legend. From the unbranded Nike Air Flight Huarache to the over-branded Nike Air More Uptempo, it didn’t matter how left or loud the sneaker was – if Pip wore it, it mattered.<\/p>\n-Ian Stonebrook<\/em><\/p>\nTune in tomorrow for players 15-11!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Basketball is back, but who has been making waves in Kicks On Court since way, way back? Much like last…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3328,"featured_media":470604,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[835],"tags":[1226214,1225587,1225551],"cultivate_rss":[],"class_list":{"2":"type-post"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
#KOC25 \/\/ The 25 Most Important NBA Players From a Sneaker Standpoint (20-16) | Snkrs Day<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n