Shining The Spotlight interviews designers, and seeks to shed light onto the design process of performance sneakers. Through the interviews, we hope readers will grow in knowledge about sneaker design and be more informed about the stories and people behind the shoes. The first focus of this project is Ryan Holler, Sr. Footwear Designer at…
Category: Shining The Spotlight
MORE THAN A BASKETBALL SHOE
Micheal Jordan’s Air Jordans are arguably the most iconic sneakers in history. It is a shoe that like Micheal, made a cultural impact in the 80s and 90s and continues to do so as we speak. Despite the fact that the Air Jordans were Micheal Jordan’s signature shoe, its impact on fashion led many to…
IS ADIDAS THE MOST UNLUCKIEST BASKETBALL BRAND?
Adidas will always be the undisputed rival of Nike, however, in terms of basketball it has always come short of Nike. When looking back at the history of signings Adidas has made, it does raise some eyebrows. Sure it may have seemed like it was a reasonable judgement at the time. But fast forward they…
WHERE SHOULD LAMELO SIGN?
If the NBA didn’t shut down the league, we should be less than a month from the 2020 NBA Draft consisting of various young talents. Lamelo Ball the youngest of the Ball brothers is expected to be a top 3 pick in the NBA draft. With the expectations of him as a player growing, more…
WHAT IS IT?: ADIDAS BOOST
Boost is implemented in different types of shoes. It is used in Basketball shoes and it is used in the iconic Yeezy shoe line. What is the cloud like foam and how is it made? The iconic Boost midsole has become to represent Adidas much like the Air unit did to Nike. First introduced in…
FUTURE OF D ROSE’S SIGNATURE SHOES
In 2012, Adidas signed Derrick Rose to a 13-year $185 million deal after he was crowned the MVP after a historic season. The contract, which would last till 2025, made sense to Adidas at the time as a young 22-year old Derrick Rose who came off a MVP season was full of potential and looked…
What Is It?: Nike Zoom
The first basketball shoe that used zoom was the Nike Air Go LWP in 1995, as Tensile air. Nike’s Zoom air cushion was originally named Tensile air. Tensile air was originally developed so that the cushioning system implemented on basketball shoes could be lower to the ground. The Tensile air was eventually re-branded into Zoom…
WHAT IF?: NIKE MOVING OUT OF CHINA
There were leaked news that Nike was moving their factories from China to the US. Although the news was later confirmed to be fake, it is worth discussing what would happen if Nike actually did decide to move out of China. It is true that it will create more jobs in the US and can…
WHY DO BIG MEN NOT GET SIGNATURE SHOES?
It has been a while since a big man in the NBA received a signature shoe either by Adidas, Nike, Jordan or Under Armour. The last time these shoe companies released a signature shoe for a big man was back in 2014 when Adidas released the “D Howard 4”. Since then, four of the major…
THE SHOES BANNED BY THE NBA
In the 2010-2011 NBA season, the Boston Celtics wanted to use a new basketball shoe during their playoff run. Since every shoe that is worn by an athlete has to be tested, the NBA tested the shoes and found out the shoes were able to increase an average man’s vertical jump by 3 inches. The…
