Once I heard SLAM was turning 30 this yr — man, first off, I felt previous as hell — however in fact, I used to be additionally hyped.
Ever since I can bear in mind enjoying the sport, watching the sport, loving the sport — SLAM Journal has been proper there. I’ve been sporting a rubber band ever since that first KICKS situation.
It was the inspiration. The blueprint. The tradition. All alongside. For each basketball and sneakers. For the final thirty years, and nevertheless a few years it runs from right here…
I knew I may additionally contribute to the anniversary in a novel means.
To have fun the influence of SLAM and its thirtieth anniversary, we’ve partnered with footwear manufacturers throughout the business. We’re wanting again at among the most iconic covers and gamers during the last 30 years, to inform the story of SLAM’s influence on the basketball world, all by means of some hearth collaborative sneakers.
My favourite half about SLAM is the chapters. The eras. The best way that the journal and the platform meant various things to totally different folks alongside the way in which — every decade — however all the time made an influence and left its mark.
Tonight in New York, we’ll be previewing a few of our upcoming SLAM thirtieth Anniversary footwear to come back on the journal’s 30 YEARS OF SLAM occasion, with a runway spanning all through the whole remainder of 2024 of extra warmth on the way in which. Right here’s an early have a look at what to anticipate all yr lengthy.
SLAM x LEBRON x NIKE
By the point the already-dubbed “King James” appeared on the quilt of SLAM #78 on the halfway level of his rookie season, essentially the most hyped prospect in league historical past was already assembly, and even exceeding the hype.
“It’s solely the start,” learn the quilt textual content.
He was lacing up his first signature shoe, the Air Zoom Era, all through his historic 20.5.5 rookie yr. It wasn’t simply the league that had stamped him as the long run, however Nike coined him “generational” off high with a record-setting $90 Million rookie shoe deal.
The historical past between SLAM and Bron can be lengthy stamped. The textual content behind the tongue of the SLAM x Air Zoom Era is up to date from the quilt and says as a lot: “Since The Starting…”
Flipping the hues of his first footwear, a wealthy purple suede takes on the bottom shade, whereas a sequence of design particulars celebrating his debut signature all come to life. There’s a nod to his first PE, the “Laser” Generations worn on Christmas Day, which was additionally the primary lasered hoop shoe to hit the NBA hardwood. An in depth lasered graphic highlighting the SLAM brand and James’ upbringing tells the story additional.
For the primary time, there’s a collar Swoosh placement, simply as Aaron Cooper initially designed them. The molded components on the shoe that drafted off of his much-discussed Hummer H2 are all chrome to honor his 18th birthday reward. We’re solely simply getting began with this one.
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SLAM x AND1
When SLAM #41 dropped in April of 2000, we had simply witnessed maybe the best Dunk Contest efficiency of all time. Vince Carter was famously a sneaker free agent in simply his second season, and he laced up the white and purple AND1 Tai Chi for that prompt basic array of dunks.
AND1 had been round for a couple of years as a rising attire firm by that time and their transcendent streetball Mixtapes have been transferring main, however now, their footwear was taking off too. VC laced up a easy black and white pair of the Tai Chi on the very subsequent cowl slot that was out there. The header was easy:
“The Best Present On Earth”
To have fun the 2000s period of AND1 and the influence of the Tai Chi on sneaker tradition, we’re creating a brand new model that brings to life SLAM’s heritage colours of white, gray, black and orange, fittingly the precise shades from that cowl shot of Problem 41.
The mesh fade is a nod to a different mannequin from the period that I all the time liked, the Finger Roll, and a approach to convey the Tai Chi’s unique yin and yang impressed break up learn to the aspect of the shoe. As all the time, the shoe appears to be like greatest with a suede shade alongside the within panel — a brilliant orange suede is seen on the SLAM version.
Our thirtieth anniversary crest might be seen alongside the inside collar, together with the three vertical stars discovered on the quilt textual content. The 3M hits all through tie again to the intense lights of All-Star Weekend, and the influence of The Best Present On Earth all these years later.
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SLAM x CURRY BRAND
Stephen Curry had simply signed with Underneath Armour a couple of months earlier than he was on his first cowl of SLAM in December of 2013. And man, what a run he’s had within the decade since. He’s now the President of Curry Model, his personal rattling model throughout the Underneath Armour umbrella.
On the unique cowl, he’s sporting the Anatomix Spawn, a sneaker that marked a brand new period of design for UA, and the primary mannequin he wore with the model to begin the 2013-2014 season.
The actual story is the shoe that Stephen wore for the quilt shoot was a mixture of blue, purple and teal. In a full circle second I couldn’t have imagined, I truly photoshopped the unique image, shifting the purple midsole to royal blue, and the teal collar to a Warriors-matching yellow. This was lengthy earlier than the league let go of their shade guidelines, in fact.
A decade later, and Curry Model has not too long ago launched the Anatomix Spawn by means of its Flotro filter, remixing the corporate’s modern Movement midsole with a modernized model of the unique higher.
Whereas SLAM #173 was simply the start line of Curry as cowl man, the SLAM x Spawn Flotro celebrates the entire covers that the 4-time champ has appeared on within the years since.
The design incorporates a collage of his covers throughout the whole higher, with torn edges impressed by everybody’s childhood ritual of tearing out the pages of SLAM to tack up on their bed room partitions.
The idea can be a nod to the generational influence that Curry has had on the sport, inspiring younger readers and gamers world wide to reimagine how they strategy the sport, prolong their capturing vary, and expertise the enjoyment of hoops.
The heel grasp tag options the SLAM brand, whereas a pearlized midsole references the widespread thirtieth anniversary stone. The lace ideas are a nod to each the milestone and Curry’s iconic jersey quantity, merely studying “THIRTY.”
Keep tuned for extra on the total SLAM x Curry Model pack to come back. We’ve acquired one other mannequin on the way in which, too…
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SLAM x SABRINA x NIKE
A yr after being chosen #1 total within the WNBA draft, SLAM stamped Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu as “The Subsequent Queen of NY” for the magazine’s Future Problem.
The next yr, Sabrina was launching her very personal signature shoe with Nike, taking her starpower and influence on the sport to one more degree. An All-Star and All-WNBA PG in every of the final two seasons, the 3-Level Contest document setter will as soon as once more be working level this season for a loaded Liberty squad that reached the WNBA Finals final yr.
The expectations are rightfully excessive but once more as Sabrina enters her fifth season. There’s additionally equally excessive expectations for her follow-up signature shoe, the Nike Sabrina 2.
After her debut signature mannequin broke obstacles and noticed adoption in any respect ranges of the sport, inspiring “anybody, anyplace,” the momentum round her second sneaker makes it one of many anticipated fashions of the whole yr.
We will’t wait to share how SLAM x Sabrina involves life in New York later this yr.
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SLAM x LAMELO x PUMA
Since he was a young person, LaMelo Ball has been SLAM Fam. He was doing full-scale photoshoots all through his highschool run at Chino Hills, along with his starpower and basketball journey taking him across the globe ever since.
After his Rookie of the 12 months begin within the league, the face of Puma Hoops noticed the launch of his first signature shoe coincide along with his first All-Star Recreation look throughout his sophomore season. It was on Problem #237 that he pulled up for the quilt of SLAM in his unlaced MB.01s, hitting the league’s longtime brand pose in a customized LaFrancé jersey from his personal clothes line.
With an iced out, 3D UFO pendant on his neck, the quilt declared him “Out Of This World.”
With extra to come back later this yr, search for SLAM and LaMelo to convey to life his “uncommon” and “1 of 1” character within the loudest means attainable, as we staff up with Puma to have fun Ball’s influence on the sneaker business and his place in the way forward for each the sport and SLAM’s subsequent chapter forward.
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SLAM x PENNY x NIKE
As we appeared again by means of the many years of SLAM covers through the years, we additionally appeared on the numerous milestone points because the very first cowl went to print in ’94.
The thirtieth situation of SLAM featured none aside from Penny Hardaway, with a Scoop Jackson-penned cowl story that completely captured his speedy rise with the Orlando Magic and his mission to remain on high of the sport that he poured every thing into.
Round that very same time within the late ’90s, Nike had simply unveiled one among their most modern sneakers ever with Penny because the headliner. The Foamposite One has been one of the crucial distinctive and iconic sneakers throughout the business ever since, with its molded higher and clear backside making for an unmistakable look and a worldwide following.
The SLAM x Penny Foamposite takes it again to one of many earliest sketches from designer Eric Avar, who someway noticed the long run when first crafting the shoe within the mid-90s. The molded Foamposite higher discovered right here contains a printed graphic impressed by Avar’s idea sketch, with the small print dialed in from there.
For the primary time, there’s a Swoosh alongside the shank, simply as Avar had sketched it. The tongue logos alternate between Hardaway’s glossy 1 Cent brand and the SLAM brand. The heel tabs characteristic the three vertical stars discovered on each cowl all through the journal’s 30 years, and a quantity 30 that additionally honors SLAM’s thirtieth Problem.
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SLAM x ADIDAS
Whenever you ask anybody to choose their favourite cowl of SLAM, it’s the fifteenth situation that includes a fold-out cowl of rising rookies “set to explode” that rapidly involves thoughts for a lot of. One of many deepest Draft courses ever posed in entrance of a brick wall, and SLAM was proper there in 1996 to stamp the gathering of future Corridor of Famers as subsequent up.
In partnering with Adidas, we’ll be bringing to life one of many model’s most forward-thinking designs in firm historical past. Sure, meaning the Loopy Two is retroing sooner or later, for the primary time.
With a molded silhouette drafting from the automotive business, the sneaker was each bit as boundary pushing because it was polarizing when it initially launched.
You’ll be seeing the outsized proportions of the sneaker come to life in a completely new means later this yr, as SLAM appears to be like again to the shades discovered alongside the basic “Prepared Or Not…” cowl from the earliest days of the journal.
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SLAM x BUBBA CHUCK x REEBOK
You already know this was a should.
As Allen Iverson writes within the foreword of the “30 YEARS OF SLAM” guide:
“I’m SLAM.”
The bond and timeline of the 2 have been linked ever since Iverson was first featured on the quilt, whereas nonetheless in school. When Problem #32 dropped although, the influence reached past basketball.
It’s not simply an iconic SLAM cowl. It’s a picture that kickstarted a complete throwback jersey period for the 2000s, and cemented AI as essentially the most culturally impactful icon that the league has ever seen.
All through the detailed Russ Bengtson characteristic interview with The Reply, there’s a structure graphic that includes Iverson that’s centered round “The three of Diamonds.”
As everyone knows, there isn’t a lot rationalization wanted to clarify Allen’s affinity for ice.
The throwback “PHILA” jersey he’s sporting was customized made by an area close by producer named Mitchell & Ness, to spotlight the historical past of the league in an “Outdated Faculty Problem” because the NBA was coping with a lockout that yr. It was the chains, the tats, the watch and the earrings that allow you to know this was nonetheless a contemporary icon of the following millennium.
Impressed by “frosted” diamond watches, the midsole of the SLAM x Reebok Query Low contains a metallic frosted texture that extends up into the shoe’s iconic toe cap. The SLAM brand seems on the heel, whereas the lettering up the eyelets have been switched out to learn Allen’s longtime nickname amongst his closest pals, “Bubba Chuck.”
The “3 of Diamonds” brand from the unique cowl story structure might be discovered on each the heel of the shoe and thru the clear outsole, bringing one of the crucial impactful covers in SLAM’s 30-year historical past full circle, celebrating as soon as once more that “Allen Iverson is Soul On Ice.”
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