Quick Collectibles | Vintage Basketball

Who wouldn’t love the game? Everything makes you feel alive: the peak of adrenaline whenever your favorite athlete is about to dunk, the shouts and screams of supporters when you watch the finals, the heat and the perspiration when you play, and above all– the feel of rubber friction with the hard court every time you or your favorite athletes run to and fro the court. Basketball is a sport loved by many, and you know you are one of those. If you could also feel the same things mentioned above, there is no doubt that you also have a great fascination on basketball shoes. Have a trip down to memory lane, while you recount the evolution of basketball shoes.

The years of 1920-1960s were the years for The Original Chuck Taylors. For over 40 years, Chuck Taylors were seen everywhere in the basketball scene. You may remember also that on those years, the leather-made basketball sneakers were also released. Not far from the same year as well, Puma launched the first ever signature shoe with Clyde Frasier’s low tops.  By the year 1983, Nike launched Air Force 1 with its air technology that caused a great buzz. Thanks to this debut, you and a lot of basketball (and basketball shoes0 fanatics were born. Without this debut, the basketball shoe scenario would be really a dull and lifeless thing.

After Nike’s launch of Air technology basketball shoes, came the bread and butter of it all: The Nike’s Air Jordan Shoes. If you do not know, it was in 1984 when Michael Jordan showed up in the basketball scene. Michael started the basketball shoes era with a bang – he even had a Nike commercial where there was an X mark on his shoes with the word BANNED on it. In spite of his relationship with Nike, do you know that Michael almost got out of Nike and start his own brand? But it did not happen as Tinker Hatfield designed the Air Jordan III. After seeing the wonderful design, Michael decided to stay with Nike. Erwing had a different story though, as he took off from Adidas and started his own brand of shoes.

After that, then came the pumps. Reebok had a swaggering upward move to the shoes consumer market when they introduced the ever first Original Pump. Those were the days that almost everyone from the male population wanted one. Do you remember those days? Aside from a pair of Jordan air you might even have one Reebok pump on your shoe rack.

On to the more recent times: Iverson became the face of Adidas. But the evolution of Basketballs shoes is now questioned as superstar athletes endorse one brand after another, and new shoes can’t seem to make a big buzz. Aside from that, remakes were made to the Air Jordan shoes and are now considered as vintage and are preferred by many.

In conclusion, basketball shoes are now comparable to big boy toys like automobiles and motorcycles. Having a vintage basketball shoes makes you feel strong, energetic and manly. Especially for die-hard fans of the game, nothing compares to the feel of owning a nice pair.

If you can read this without thinking “who on earth would want someone’s smelly sneakers”, then you are probably a basketball lover. You can’t seem to get enough of the game that you want more, something that reminds you of the high power you feel when you are anywhere near a basketball match or a basketball. You know that extreme feeling that you want to collect items to show how you love the game so much. But then, some may question your hobby especially if what you are collecting are not just the usual items, but the vintage ones– let alone expensive vintage basketball shoes. If you are already a collector of these specific items, or if you are thinking of starting, you need to prepare yourself with the question that many people would ask you: Is there a good reason to collect vintage basketball shoes? You don’t need to give them a taste of your fist; all you need is to be conscious of why you love doing it, or why you started doing it in the first place.

The most common reason why a person jumps in to collect vintage basketball shoes would be the love for the game. Your love for it couldn’t be simply contained that you need to show your support through buying items related to it. Most of the vintage shoes have their stories to tell and basketball athlete associated with it. So, if you are a fan of a certain athlete who promoted or used a certain vintage basketball shoe – go and grab the said vintage item. It gives you the feeling of fulfilment in supporting the players and the game.

Another good thing about collecting vintage basketball shoes would be the fact that it gives you the opportunity to meet fellow basketball lovers. By collecting, you would know more people who share the same interest, and you can also ask them about other memorabilia you could buy. Aside from the fact that you gain buddies from collecting, you would also learn more about the game. Alongside the buddies you meet would be new learning and experiences that are related to the game.

And the last reason, but certainly not the least, is that collecting vintage basketball shoes could be a profitable business in the future. You know how antiques and vintage objects’ price turns in to after a few more years – right? Its value heightens as time goes by. You might not want to sell your precious collections, but someday when you need money you can rely on it. And of course, nobody would buy it without taking good care of it. So, there is no harm in also venturing into this type of business. If you want, you can even put a very high price, show how much you value the possession and see if someone could name your price. It doesn’t hurt to give it to someone who supports the game like you.

So, in conclusion, there are a lot of good reasons why a person should collect vintage basketball shoes. The next time someone looks in to your eye and asks you: Is there a good reason to collect vintage basketball shoes? You wouldn’t hesitate to say yes, of course there is!

Nothing gives one a wicked nostalgia overdrive more than vintage basketball shoes, that is, if you’re a basketball fan. In any sports shoes, nothing got more frequent overhauls or has evolved more rapidly than basketball shoes. The designs vary a lot from era to era, and even modern basketball shoes today still adapt some designing elements from the ones that came before.

As you will notice, the Nike brand has dominated the market (thanks in large part to Michael Jordan and the edgy advertisements). But there was a time when Nike was scraping the bottom of the barrel when it comes to basketball shoe sales competition. Let’s discuss the vintage basketball shoes that used to dominate the market one by one.

1. Converse Chuck Taylors

The Chuck Taylors are simply the quintessential vintage basketball shoes, or if you prefer, sneakers. If you haven’t seen one of these, then you need to go out once in a while. In fact, the Chuck Taylors are now being used for casual wear. They vary in colors and designs, and they go well with jeans.

The Chuck Taylors were made specifically for the game of basketball way back in 1917. What made the brand more popular is the variety of colors, and players are often inclined to buy the pair that matches well with their respective team uniforms.

2. Reebok Pump Omni-Lite

Ah, the Reebok Pumps. Now that’s nostalgia for you. The Reebok Pump Omni-Lite was the byword among basketball shoe aficionados in the late 80′s. It got even more exposure when the brand signed Shaquille O’Neal during the height of his popularity, and even more so when he wore the kicks in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

The Pumps got additional exposure during the 1991 Slam Dunk Contest, when Dee Brown playfully pumped up his Reeboks before going for a vicious no-look slamma-jamma.

3. Nike Air Jordan 1-VII

Michael Jordan, who got drafted by the Bulls in the 80′s, took the basketball world by storm with his amazing athleticism and high-flying acts on the hard court. Nike, a brand that nobody cared about during that time, signed him for an endorsement deal. Since then, the Nike brand has dominated the market.

The Air Jordans were the most sought out basketball shoes from the late 80′s and even today. They were so popular that a lot of students got themselves in trouble and even got killed trying to steal a pair.

4. Converse Weapon

The Converse Weapon can’t possibly get a better endorser during the 80′s when Magic and Bird each wore a pair on the basketball court for several years. The design isn’t entirely striking, but the wide variety of colorways made it a byword among purists. The popularity of the shoes waned when the Air Jordans took the shoe market by storm, but collectors still look for these when adding up to their collection of vintage basketball shoes.

5. Adidas Superstar

The Adidas Superstar is now considered a retro, rightly so since it was the most popular shoe for most of the 70′s. It was worn by one of the greatest Centers of all time, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

The shoe has dipped into the slipstream of the market’s consciousness until it was popularized again by Run DMC, a rap group who even made a song called My Adidas to pay homage to the once popular shoe.

If you’re collecting vintage basketball shoes, then you can start with the shoes mentioned in this list.  Of course, there are other historic basketball shoes that can spruce up your collection, so don’t forget to always be on the lookout.