Skateboarding and basketball are two sports about as different from one another as you can get. In fact, apart from a preference for big air, there’s pretty much nothing in common between the two… and yet, Nike SB’s influx of basketball-inspired make-ups and official NBA collaborations makes so much sense!
Accidental Fandom
The likes of the Bruin, Blazer and, of course, the Dunk were all born specifically for the hardwood, adopted by pros, college athletes and amateurs alike. However – and completely unexpectedly – an entirely different group of athletes quickly became fans of the Nike’s newest b-ball offerings.
Skateboarders throughout the 70s and 80s took to these models in droves, attracted by their excellent boardfeel, hard-wearing construction and ample cushioning. In fact, Nike’s early basketball range performed so well, many skate rats favoured them to the skate-specific sneakers available at the time.
It wasn’t just amateurs that adopted Nike’s basketball sneakers for skating, however – even the pros were doing it! In 1987, the Air Jordan 1 became immortalised in skate culture when the Bones Brigade laced up in OG Jays for the classic flick The Search for Animal Chin. The film concludes with a now-iconic quadruple spine handplant that featured Steve Caballero, Lance Mountain and Mike McGill all performing the manoeuvre in well-thrashed pairs of ‘Bred’ AJ1s. The remaining Bones Brigade member in the legendary snap, Tony Hawk, is the only one not wearing Jays in the shot – instead donning Sk8-His due to a newly inked Vans endorsement deal – but even he has admitted to being partial to the legendary sneaker at the time.
The Bones Brigade in The Search for Animal Chin
Culture Vultures
In the mid 90s, with mainstream interest in skate culture rising once again, Nike made a concentrated effort to crack the now-lucrative market. Their initial offerings were less than spectacular: thinly veiled attempts to mimic the designs of bonafide skate brands, without any true understanding of what defined a great skate shoe. Nike would continue to attempt to crack the market, releasing cumbersome models like the Air Choad and even purchasing upstart skate brand Savier in an attempted Trojan-horse approach
It was only as the end of the 90s neared that Nike began to truly reflect upon their earlier unexpected success among skaters, realising that perhaps their older basketball models – which had long been superseded on the court – were already perfectly suited to skating. This resulted in the birth of the Dunk Pro B: essentially a prototype SB. The Dunk Pro B featured SB’s now-signature puffy tongue, as well as materials better suited to finesse flip tricks
Sincerity = Success
By the time 2002 rolled around, with the help of Sandy Bodecker, Nike launched SB. Initial releases, which were carefully drip-fed through respected skate stores, shined the spotlight on the division’s carefully tweaked Dunk, with just a hint of variety arriving care of a sole Blazer SB. In coincidental homage to the model’s history, Nike SB team rider Danny Supa’s debut Dunk embraced the colours of the New York Knicks. Supreme would further embrace the basketball connection, famously creating two collaborative designs based on the Air Jordan 3.
Danny Supa’s New York Knicks-inspired SB Dunk Low
Basketball-inspired SB designs would continue to appear over the years, including the nostalgic ‘Be True to Your School’ collection, the so-called ‘J Pack’ Dunks, (which utilised the beloved ‘Royal’ AJ1 colourway) and a duo of ‘Rayguns’ Dunks inspired by a fictional Roswell basketball team popularised in a memorable Nike Basketball advertising campaign.
Nike SB would also give its superstar team riders an opportunity to show their love for the game through their pro model releases. Paul Rodriguez, aka P-Rod, would flex his passion for basketball with countless Jordan-inspired designs, including the highly-coveted ‘J-Rod’ and numerous little-seen creations made exclusively for Rodriguez and his close friends. Diehard Lakers fan Eric Koston’s signing to Nike SB was celebrated with an unprecedented collaboration with Kobe Bryant, including a ridiculously limited hybrid of the Kobe 6 and Eric Koston 1 that came decadently packaged inside a genuine cigar humidor. This insanely rare collab was limited to just 24 units – in recognition of Kobe’s jersey number at the time – and released at the Lakers’ home ground, the Staples Center.
Paul Rodriquez Zoom Air Elite ‘J-Rod’ (2005) – Image via Project Blitz
Jumpman Salute
In 2014, Nike would honour the Air Jordan 1s significance in skate history with the release of a metallic green AJ1 envisioned by legendary skate designer and photographer Craig Stecyk, and a black and white duo designed by Bones Brigade member Lance Mountain. Mountain’s creations were a true throwback to the 80s that revealed mismatched ‘Bred’ and ‘Royal’ AJ1s beneath heavy coatings of paint.
Lance Mountain’s ‘White’ Air Jordan 1 SB collab
After the NBA’s extensive endorsement deal with adidas came to an end in 2017, Nike were quick to take over the reigns. A selection of NBA-endorsed footwear was born from the newly established relationship, including a selection of Air Force 1s, but few collaborations have been as prevalent and extensive as that produced by Nike SB. 2018 gave birth to a NBA x Nike SB collection consisting of Dunks, Blazers and Bruins paired with matching NBA apparel.
This debut collaborative collection was followed by the NBA x Nike SB ‘Wear-Away Pack’ in early 2018. It consisted of a Cleveland Cavaliers-inspired Dunk High Pro, Chicago Bulls-inspired Zoom Bruin Ultra and Golden State Warriors-inspired Blazer Low GT. Taking cues from Lance Mountain’s Air Jordan 1 SB creations, each sneaker came coated in a layer of black paint that is intended to wear away and reveal the respective team colours beneath. Two matching NBA-branded satin bomber jackets were also available as part of the collection.
A Welcome Comeback
Nike would continue the wearaway theme in mid 2019 with the reintroduction of the Air Jordan 1 into the SB lineup. Two new wearaway renditions were produced: an ‘LA to Chicago’ make-up inspired by the team colours of the LA Lakers and Chicago Bulls, and another dubbed ‘NYC to Paris’, which introduces splashes of pink to a box-fresh grayscale colourway.
As 2019 continued, a new Jordan silhouette would join the Nike SB arsenal: the Air Jordan 1 Low. For the model’s SB debut, the skate-ready AJ1 Low channeled the highly coveted Japan-exclusive ‘Midnight Navy’ Air Jordan 1 High from 2001. For an added touch, red mini Jumpman branding was added to the toe boxes – one of the rare instances when the Jumpman has been officially mirrored in its usage.
On August 12, the Nike SB Air Jordan 1 Low returns once again and this time it’s going all out on its basketball roots, replicating the legendary ‘UNC’ Air Jordan 1 colourway from 1985. The ultra-clean combination of white and cornflower blue was originally created to honour Michael Jordan’s college basketball team: the North Carolina Tar Heels. The new low-cut SB release, spawned from the mind of Eric Koston, is officially nicknamed ‘$24.99’ as a nod to the bargain price that AJ1s were slashed down to on clearance back in ‘86, which was what led to them being so beloved among skaters in the first place – Eric Koston included!
The Air Jordan 1 Low SB ‘$24.99’ releases on August 12 through all Foot District locations and the Foot District online store.
Also releasing this week is the Air Jordan 1 High Defiant SB ‘LA to Chicago’, which finally lands in Europe after an unexpected delay. To score your pair, make sure you enter our online raffle ASAP to go in the running!
Originally published January 22, 2019, as ‘NBA x Nike SB: A Brief History of Basketball’s Impact on Nike SB’