{"id":501930,"date":"2016-07-05T13:26:43","date_gmt":"2016-07-05T17:26:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/?p=501930"},"modified":"2020-03-27T20:55:11","modified_gmt":"2020-03-28T00:55:11","slug":"a-history-of-nba-teams-with-three-signature-players","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/a-history-of-nba-teams-with-three-signature-players\/","title":{"rendered":"A History of NBA Teams with Three Signature Players"},"content":{"rendered":"
With Kevin Durant moving to The Bay, the Golden State Warriors will start the 2016-17 season in rare territory as they’ll have three signature players on their roster (KD, Steph & Klay).<\/p>\n
Typically speaking, salary caps keep a team from hosting such star power on one squad, though the recent emergence of Chinese brands and signature shoe deals for lower profile talent has somewhat skewed the trend. From MJ’s Bulls to a variety of Shaq’s squads, get a quick look back at some of the NBA teams to host three players all with their own signature shoes.<\/p>\n
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Following up the Bulls’ historic 72-10 season, major changes happened in the Chicago footwear scene. For starters, Michael Jordan and Nike launched the Jordan Brand, with the Air Jordan 12 kicking off the new business venture. Across the court, Scottie Pippen went from Flight Club captain to signature star, lacing up the Nike Air Pippen 1 while the Worm moved from Nike to Converse with the AS 91.<\/p>\n
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The 1997-98 Lakers were an explosion of star power, sending four players to that year’s All-Star Game in NYC. While Nick Van Exel was juicing the newly launched DMX technology for Reebok, Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant and Eddie Jones all scored their own signature shoes for Reebok, adidas and Jordan Brand, respectively.<\/p>\n
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The last year of the Chicago Bulls dynasty was full of signature heat as Michael Jordan laced up the Air Jordan 13 for the course of the regular season and unveiled the Air Jordan 14 during the NBA Finals. Wingman Scottie Pippen scored his second signature, the Nike Air Pippen 2, while the Worm continued his run in Converse with the AS Rodman and D-Rod.<\/p>\n
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During the lockout season, the two signature dynasties of the 90’s combined in LA. Emerging star Kobe Bryant and larger than life big man Shaquille O’Neal led the new-look Lakers in models of their own namesake. While Eddie Jones would eventually leave for Charlotte midway through the shortened season, he would wear his second sig from Jordan Brand while Dennis Rodman would lace up his Converse in Hollywood.<\/p>\n
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As it would go, wherever Shaq went so did the signature star power.\u00a0Making the move to start his economy based Dunkman line following ventures with Reebok and Dunk.net, he would join a young Dwyane Wade who was then the face of Converse. Surrounded by vets, the likes of Gary Payton and Alonzo Mourning would return to their former signature models from Nike and even get new PE pairs.<\/p>\n
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After a championship in ’06, Dwyane Wade would continue to grow in profile and with Converse. Zo and GP saw even more PE action from the elder signature models, while Shaq would become one of the first American sports stars to sign with Chinese brand Li-Ning.<\/p>\n
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The latter days of Shaq in Miami would see more Li-Ning on the Diesel, but it would also see the departure of Gary Payton. Dwyane Wade’s Converse line would continue to grow and Zo would play his last NBA games in his lone Nike signature model.<\/p>\n
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Once again playing with a collection of vets, Shaq and his Li-Ning deal would move to Boston. It was an odd collection of signature stars as Paul Pierce would continue to wear his signature Nike line that never released in adult sizes and Kevin Garnett would make another brand switch and lace up Anta in Beantown.<\/p>\n
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The arrival of LeBron James in Miami would make it a sneaker summit once again. Longtime Heat star Dwyane Wade would lace up his own Fly Wade signature from Jordan Brand during a number of his days alongside James. The third part of the trio? Not Chris Bosh but actually Shane Battier. While Battier’s game may have never seen a signature shoe from a big U.S. brand, the once Oakley-endorsed athlete eventually made the move to PEAK where he would have a surprisingly long series of signature shoes.<\/p>\n
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Miami’s three signature athletes would remain the same the following season with the major change coming in Dwyane Wade’s departure from Jordan Brand to Li-Ning. James would continue to thrive in Nike and PEAK would continue to outfit Battier.<\/p>\n
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All with their brands from the previous season, things would remain mostly the same in Miami for LeBron’s last season. The most major change would be that James would often shift from his current signature shoe — the Nike LeBron 11 — to his previous model the LeBron X and Soldier spinoff as he preferred the fit.<\/p>\n
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Now on Nike, last season saw Kevin Love as a signature athlete for 361\u00b0 the same season Kyrie Irving received the Nike Kyrie 1 of his namesake. As always, LeBron James carried the torch for his line in the Nike LeBron 12.<\/p>\n
Images and info via SLAM<\/a>, Mis Zapas<\/a>, Zimbio<\/a>,\u00a0Champs Sports<\/a> & Getty Images<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" With Kevin Durant moving to The Bay, the Golden State Warriors will start the 2016-17 season in rare territory as…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2415,"featured_media":501970,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[618],"tags":[],"cultivate_rss":[],"class_list":{"2":"type-post"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n