Top History Info On Nike Basketball Shoes

There are various shoes for athletics that someone may pick from at this time. Someone can choose one because of a sport they play or just for fashion. A top pick for someone that plays basketball would be the Nike basketball shoes.

Phil Knight founded the company in 1964. Although the name was later changed it was initially founded as Blue Ribbon Sports. The final name of the company was picked after a dream was had that included the Greek Goddess of victory, Nike. The company is well known for it's swoosh emblem as well and came up with that shortly after the name change.

One of the features of the early Nikes was that their soles were made with bags of pressurized gas in them. These bags would compress when impact took place then quickly expand back to regular size. A former aerospace engineer helped the company come up with that feature.

In 1984 the company signed Michael Jordan to an endorsement contract. Michael Jordan was, at that time, just entering the NBA and making his presence felt there and in marketing. The year after signing on with Nike his shoe became the signature model for them, the Air Jordan.

Michael's Air Jordan line brought the basketball spotlight to the company. The shoes were not allowed to be worn during a game because they did not meet the league dress code at that time. Even though he was warned of this Michael still wore the shoes and received fines for each time he did. The fines worked as an advertisement for Nike and Michael because it consistently put the Air Jordan's in the news for everyone to see.

In 1986 Michael won the slam dunk contest and became interested in playing a bigger role in the designing of the Air Jordan line. Because of this the line started being manufactured with materials that were lighter and in a three-quarter cut shoe instead of a high top. The Air Jordan line sales elevated to all time highs as it was now not only endorsed by one of the top stars in the NBA but also partially designed by him. That extra feature helped separate the line from other products as it carried a special Michael Jordan touch to it.

After the success that the Air Jordan line had many other NBA players have also signed endorsement deals with the company. LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Kevin Durant, Vince Carter, and many others all have signature shoes that are available. Many of these superstars have also become more in tune with the designing of their line to make sure they are truly signature lines for their personalities.

Nike basketball shoes are well endorsed by top NBA players from today and the past. Any of these lines would be a good choice for someone seeking a shoe that is fashionable and effective on the court. The fact that many of the players help design their lines keeps the choices personalized for each player and different than what other companies put out.