{"id":594045,"date":"2018-04-19T13:36:19","date_gmt":"2018-04-19T17:36:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/?p=594045"},"modified":"2022-09-19T09:32:20","modified_gmt":"2022-09-19T14:32:20","slug":"nike-air-zoom-challenge-throwback-thursday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/nike-air-zoom-challenge-throwback-thursday\/","title":{"rendered":"Nike Air Zoom Challenge \/\/ Throwback Thursday"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Hoop Heaven.<\/p>\n<p>In honor of the start of the NBA playoffs, today&#8217;s episode of Snkrs Day&#8217; Throwback Thursday pays tribute to the 1997 NBA Playoffs, one of the most memorable postseasons in NBA history.<\/p>\n<p>The \u201997 postseason had it all: drama, suspense, and heroic performances, at the highest level of competition and on the grandest of stages. The \u201897 postseason saw multiple game-winning, series-clinching shots and epic performances from both NBA icons and role players: Jordan\u2019s epic buzzer-beater in Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Jazz; two 40-point performances by Penny Hardaway of the Orlando Magic against the higher-seeded Miami Heat which tied their playoff series; and a game-winning, buzzer-beating, miracle 3-point shot by Houston Rockets\u2019 veteran journeyman, Eddie Johnson, in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals, a series that featured not one but two game-winning shots.<\/p>\n<p>What is perhaps most memorable of the \u201897 playoffs was the multitude of sneakers worn by many NBA Hall of Famers and sports legends, during the height and prime of the classic 90s NBA and sneaker era. Sneaker enthusiasts and vintage NBA fans will be quick to note iconic models such as the Air Jordan 12, Air Pippen, Air Foamposite One, Air Turbulence Flight, Jumpman Pro, Air Hawk Flight, Air Bakin\u2019, Air Flight Max, Air Max Uptempo III, among others, worn by the likes of Jordan, Pippen, Penny Hardaway, Tim Hardaway, Kevin Garnett, and Gary Payton; however, there is a sneaker that has, until now, been largely forgotten amongst the shuffle: the <strong>Nike Air Zoom Challenge<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>In order to set the stage, let\u2019s first go back to November 1995. During a Sonics\u2019 home game against the Chicago Bulls at Key Arena, Gary Payton bucked the trend and wore the Nike Air Alarm Agassi tennis sneaker which featured the Sonics\u2019 colors black, green, and white. A year and a half later, during the 1997 regular season and playoffs, John Stockton, legendary point guard of the Utah Jazz, followed suit and wore another Agassi tennis silhouette \u2013 the Nike Air Zoom Challenge.<\/p>\n<p>The Air Zoom Challenge was designed by Wilson Smith and incorporated a DRC Court (Durable Rubber Compound) non-marking outsole, carbon fiber plate, signature Agassi \u201cA\u201d on the heel counter, and most notably, a loud, psychedelic circular graphic outsole pattern inspired by the surrealist artist, Salvador Dali.<\/p>\n<p>The Air Zoom Challenge was worn throughout some of the most iconic and memorable moments in both the 1997 Playoffs and Utah Jazz history as well. Old school Jazz fans will fondly remember Stockton\u2019s game-winning, buzzer-beating 3-point shot over Barkley which eliminated the Houston Rockets in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals, propelling the Jazz to their first-ever NBA Finals appearance against Jordan and the Bulls, illustrating its true versatility as a versatile court model.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" onerror=\"this.src='https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/files\/2023\/12\/404-dead-image.jpg'\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-594057\" src=\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/files\/2018\/04\/1845377.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1103\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/files\/2018\/04\/1845377.jpg 1103w, https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/files\/2018\/04\/1845377-253x275.jpg 253w, https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/files\/2018\/04\/1845377-460x500.jpg 460w, https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/files\/2018\/04\/1845377-768x836.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/files\/2018\/04\/1845377-689x750.jpg 689w, https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/files\/2018\/04\/1845377-720x783.jpg 720w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1103px) 100vw, 1103px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>While Stockton wore many Nike models throughout his legendary career, the Air Zoom Challenge is regarded as one of the most memorable Stockton models as it was attached to some of the greatest moments in his Hall of Fame career.<\/p>\n<p>Get Jazzed up, rock the short shorts and Air Zoom Challenge, and play dirty like Stockton.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" onerror=\"this.src='https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/files\/2023\/12\/404-dead-image.jpg'\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-594056\" src=\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/files\/2018\/04\/de0e4de924e05f380a83a070b4f98280.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1677\" height=\"2708\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/files\/2018\/04\/de0e4de924e05f380a83a070b4f98280.jpg 1677w, https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/files\/2018\/04\/de0e4de924e05f380a83a070b4f98280-170x275.jpg 170w, https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/files\/2018\/04\/de0e4de924e05f380a83a070b4f98280-310x500.jpg 310w, https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/files\/2018\/04\/de0e4de924e05f380a83a070b4f98280-768x1240.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/files\/2018\/04\/de0e4de924e05f380a83a070b4f98280-464x750.jpg 464w, https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/files\/2018\/04\/de0e4de924e05f380a83a070b4f98280-720x1163.jpg 720w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1677px) 100vw, 1677px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" onerror=\"this.src='https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/files\/2023\/12\/404-dead-image.jpg'\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-594049\" src=\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/files\/2018\/04\/IMG_3085.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"3163\" height=\"2179\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/files\/2018\/04\/IMG_3085.jpg 3163w, https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/files\/2018\/04\/IMG_3085-325x224.jpg 325w, https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/files\/2018\/04\/IMG_3085-726x500.jpg 726w, https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/files\/2018\/04\/IMG_3085-768x529.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/files\/2018\/04\/IMG_3085-1000x689.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/files\/2018\/04\/IMG_3085-720x496.jpg 720w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 3163px) 100vw, 3163px\" \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hoop Heaven. In honor of the start of the NBA playoffs, today&#8217;s episode of Snkrs Day&#8217; Throwback Thursday pays tribute&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":328308,"featured_media":594055,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[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) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Nike Air Zoom Challenge \/\/ Throwback Thursday | Snkrs Day<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Where to buy Nike Air Zoom Challenge \/\/ Throwback Thursday shoes. Snkrs Day has release dates, prices, and where to find Nike Air Zoom Challenge \/\/ Throwback Thursday for sale.\" \/>\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\/nike-air-zoom-challenge-throwback-thursday\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Nike Air Zoom Challenge \/\/ Throwback Thursday\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Where to buy Nike Air Zoom Challenge \/\/ Throwback Thursday shoes. Snkrs Day has release dates, prices, and where to find Nike Air Zoom Challenge \/\/ Throwback Thursday for sale.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/nike-air-zoom-challenge-throwback-thursday\/\" \/>\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=\"2018-04-19T17:36:19+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-09-19T14:32:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/files\/2018\/04\/tbt-lead.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1182\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Seth Wollman\" \/>\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=\"Seth Wollman\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":[\"WebPage\",\"ItemPage\"],\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/nike-air-zoom-challenge-throwback-thursday\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/nike-air-zoom-challenge-throwback-thursday\/\",\"name\":\"Nike Air Zoom Challenge \/\/ Throwback Thursday | Snkrs Day\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/nike-air-zoom-challenge-throwback-thursday\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/nike-air-zoom-challenge-throwback-thursday\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/files\/2018\/04\/tbt-lead.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-04-19T17:36:19+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-09-19T14:32:20+00:00\",\"description\":\"Where to buy Nike Air Zoom Challenge \/\/ Throwback Thursday shoes. Snkrs Day has release dates, prices, and where to find Nike Air Zoom Challenge \/\/ Throwback Thursday for sale.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/nike-air-zoom-challenge-throwback-thursday\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/nike-air-zoom-challenge-throwback-thursday\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/nike-air-zoom-challenge-throwback-thursday\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/files\/2018\/04\/tbt-lead.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/files\/2018\/04\/tbt-lead.jpg\",\"width\":\"1182\",\"height\":\"630\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/nike-air-zoom-challenge-throwback-thursday\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"News\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Columns\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/columns\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Throwback Thursday\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/columns\/throwback-thursday\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"Nike Air Zoom Challenge \/\/ Throwback Thursday\"}]},{\"@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":"Nike Air Zoom Challenge \/\/ Throwback Thursday | Snkrs Day","description":"Where to buy Nike Air Zoom Challenge \/\/ Throwback Thursday shoes. Snkrs Day has release dates, prices, and where to find Nike Air Zoom Challenge \/\/ Throwback Thursday for sale.","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\/nike-air-zoom-challenge-throwback-thursday\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Nike Air Zoom Challenge \/\/ Throwback Thursday","og_description":"Where to buy Nike Air Zoom Challenge \/\/ Throwback Thursday shoes. Snkrs Day has release dates, prices, and where to find Nike Air Zoom Challenge \/\/ Throwback Thursday for sale.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/nike-air-zoom-challenge-throwback-thursday\/","og_site_name":"Snkrs Day","article_publisher":"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/snkrsday","article_published_time":"2018-04-19T17:36:19+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-09-19T14:32:20+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1182,"height":630,"url":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/files\/2018\/04\/tbt-lead.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Seth Wollman","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@snkrsday","twitter_site":"@snkrsday","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Seth Wollman","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":["WebPage","ItemPage"],"@id":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/nike-air-zoom-challenge-throwback-thursday\/","url":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/nike-air-zoom-challenge-throwback-thursday\/","name":"Nike Air Zoom Challenge \/\/ Throwback Thursday | Snkrs Day","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/nike-air-zoom-challenge-throwback-thursday\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/nike-air-zoom-challenge-throwback-thursday\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/files\/2018\/04\/tbt-lead.jpg","datePublished":"2018-04-19T17:36:19+00:00","dateModified":"2022-09-19T14:32:20+00:00","description":"Where to buy Nike Air Zoom Challenge \/\/ Throwback Thursday shoes. Snkrs Day has release dates, prices, and where to find Nike Air Zoom Challenge \/\/ Throwback Thursday for sale.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/nike-air-zoom-challenge-throwback-thursday\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/nike-air-zoom-challenge-throwback-thursday\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/nike-air-zoom-challenge-throwback-thursday\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/files\/2018\/04\/tbt-lead.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/files\/2018\/04\/tbt-lead.jpg","width":"1182","height":"630"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/nike-air-zoom-challenge-throwback-thursday\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Columns","item":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/columns\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Throwback Thursday","item":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/columns\/throwback-thursday\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Nike Air Zoom Challenge \/\/ Throwback Thursday"}]},{"@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\/594045"}],"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\/328308"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=594045"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/594045\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1144022,"href":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/594045\/revisions\/1144022"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/594055"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=594045"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=594045"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=594045"},{"taxonomy":"cultivate_rss","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cultivate_rss?post=594045"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}