A Brief History of adidas Basketball
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With Jordan, Nike, and to a lesser extent, PUMA having such a strong identity in basketball, it can sometimes get forgotten that adidas have also had their part to play. Not ones to let a brand’s history slip through the net, this post will touch on all those adidas b-ball classics which became game-changers in their own right. Stick with us to be enlightened on which shoes were donned by some of the blockbuster names in NBA, which shoes were the some of the first to showcase all-new materials and which were the one to transcend the sports into the realms of different subcultures.
1969: SUPERSTAR | 1971: CAMPUS | 1971: AMERICANA | 1975: NIZZA | 1986: RIVALRY | 2019: Rivalry BOOST | 2019: adidas x Marvel
SUPERSTAR
1969
The Superstar is one of those shoes that has stood the test of time. Forever maintaining its status as a cult classic, its…read more
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CAMPUS
1971
The Campus was originally coined the ‘Tournament’ in the early ‘70s and was later renamed ‘Campus’ in 1980. Originally starting…read more
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AMERICANA
1971
Released onto the court in 1971, the Americana was a seminal silhouette in the sneaker sphere. The design was one of the first…read more
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NIZZA
1975
Next up, we have the 1975 Nizza. Despite the Americana’s movements into mesh, the Nizza opted for a sturdy canvas fabric up top. The…read more
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RIVALRY
1986
Donned by NBA Hall-of-Famer Patrick Ewing back in 1986, adidas Originals’ Rivalry was originally crafted in the colours of Ewing’s beloved…read more
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Rivarly BOOST
2019
Retaining all the same characteristics as its ’86 counterpart, 2019 seen adidas’ classic Rivalry silhouette remixed and modernised with the…read more
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adidas x Marvel
2019
Merging heroes of the sporting world with heroes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, adidas teams up with Marvel for a special themed…read more
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1969 – adidas Superstar
The Superstar is one of those shoes that has stood the test of time. Forever maintaining its status as a cult classic, its life began as a basketball shoe back in 1969 and in the successive years found itself on the feet of NBA greats Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Jerry West. Players were beginning to opt for leather made shoes over canvas due to the increased support and protection they provided, and the Superstar built on this notion with the introduction of its iconic rubber ‘shell-toe’.
1971 – adidas CAMPUS
The Campus was originally coined the ‘Tournament’ in the early ‘70s and was later renamed ‘Campus’ in 1980. Originally starting life on the court, the low-top basketball sneaker would later earn top marks as a casual skate shoe. The Campus also made friends during the ’80 terrace scene during the ‘80s, and could also be seen on the feet of burgeoning hip-hop and Britpop acts such as the Beastie Boys and Blur in the ‘90s. All in all, it’s fair to say the Campus transcended the world of basketball, as it became synonymous with a selection of other sports and subcultures.
1971 – adidas Americana
Released onto the court in 1971, the Americana was a seminal silhouette in the sneaker sphere. The design was one of the first shoes ever to boast mesh, which rendered the silhouette more lightweight and breathable than anything out on the market. As a result, the Americana was a serious staple of big-name players. Available in both high-top and low-top form, the classic white, red and blue colourway became the unofficial shoe of the ABA.
1975 – adidas NIZZA
Next up, we have the 1975 Nizza. Despite the Americana’s movements into mesh, the Nizza opted for a sturdy canvas fabric up top. The shoe was adidas’ answer to the Converse All Star, which was garnering a lot of attention at the time. The well-priced Nizza was developed for all inds of sports but swiftly found a stronger connection with basketball. These days, you’re more like to find the Nizza on the streets than on the court, having been adopted by a fair few subcultures down the years.
1986 – adidas RIVALRY
Donned by NBA Hall-of-Famer Patrick Ewing back in 1986, adidas Originals’ Rivalry was originally crafted in the colours of Ewing’s beloved New York Knicks. The court classic boasts full-grain leather uppers, a one-piece EVA midsole that’s extremely lightweight, flexible and shock-absorbent and a non-marking cupsole for glue-like grip on the courts. Rising back to popularity in recent years, the Rivalry is readily available once more in a whole range of colour schemes and high and low cuts.
2019 – adidas Rivalry BOOST
Retaining all the same characteristics as its ’86 counterpart, 2019 seen adidas’ classic Rivalry silhouette remixed and modernised with the addition of cushioning BOOST tech in the midsole. For those who aren’t familiar with this cushioning innovation, a BOOST midsole is made from TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane) which compresses under impact and instantly springs back to its original shape – making for a cushioned ride each time you step out on the hardwood.
2019 – adidas x Marvel Collection
Merging heroes of the sporting world with heroes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, adidas teams up with Marvel for a special themed “Heroes Among Us” collection. Taking fashion tips from the likes of Thor, Iron Man and Nick Fury to name a few, the collaborative series reworks adidas’ modern-day basketball models – such as James Harden’s signature Harden V3 and Tracy McGrady’s T-MAC b-ball sneakers – with a superhero spin.
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