Every year basketball fans from all over the world put aside the competitive identifications of teams and conferences, and come together to celebrate the game and the culture around basketball at ASW. This is where players and brands converge to have a little bit of extra fun, remember the love for the game and each other, and release tons of product. Tons and tons of product. It’s a lot to sort through, especially nearly seven decades into the tradition. So we’ve done it for you. Out of the hundreds of sneakers that have released over the years (especially if you include shoes that were worn on court and dropped during the weekend) there are certainly more than a dozen worth noting, but we’ve done the hard job of choosing twelve that we think were impactful beyond a single game.
There are some who call the release of Converse’s Chuck Taylor the beginning of sneaker culture, while others will point to when hip hop culture expanded beyond beats, but the most obvious and most popular named catalyst is Michael Jordan’s contract that started Jordan Brand. The sneakers first appeared in 1985 and while mythos tells us the black and red colorway was the first, MJ laced up the historically impactful Chicago colorway for the ASW Game that first year. This is the colorway that defines Jordan’s relationship with Chicago and has been the basis for most Jordan 1 remixes ever since. While the Banned gets all the glory, it’s the Chicago colorway that’s doing all the work.
The Air Jordan 3 has to be one of the most iconic sneakers created during Jordan’s time in the NBA. It was the shoe that the GOAT wore to gain his “air” status, assisting in his gravity-defying free throw line dunk. It was the shoe that Jordan wore to score 40 points at the 1988 ASW Game. And it was the shoe that Jordan wore to earn his first MVP title. Being retro’d four times since its initial release, the Black Cements has become an ode to Jordan’s achievements. Everything from the hits of elephant print to the favorited Nike Air on the heel tab bring out the very best that the model has to offer.
3. Reebok Question Mid All-Star
The story of the “Reebok Question Mid All-Star” is not a straight line, and the logic gets a little loopy but it’s a fun nugget of history. Back in 2000, when Iverson got his first invitation to play in the ASW Game, he wanted to rock a pair of his own signature sneakers, the Question, paying homage to the host arena for the game, the Oakland Arena, and the team that’s based there, the Golden State Warriors. This didn’t pan out and he ended up wearing a black and white pair of Answer 3s instead, but the original shoe he envisioned never died. That design was shelved and eventually dropped as an ASW release six years later in 2006. Even though the colors have no direct relation to Iverson, and the shoes were never worn on court, they’re a testament to the consideration and politics that go into creating shoes for this special game.
In 2012, ASW was a MOVIE and Nike was at the forefront of it all. Not only was it the game that gave us Jeremy Evans’ two-ball dunk, but it brought to the public Nike’s Galaxy basketball collection. After riding the intergalactic wave from its uber-successful Galaxy Foamposite, the Swoosh incorporated the space theme into all of its signature basketball shoes. The pack featured pairs from Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, and, most notably, LeBron James. James’ ninth shoe was the most desired from the pack, and definitely the most loud. The shoe features total orange and mango uppers with an entire glow-in-the-dark outsole adding to its value. Eight years later and the sneaker is still considered one of the most memorable shoes to hit the ASW court.
After North Carolina passed the now-defunct HB2 “Bathroom Bill” in 2016, all eyes were on the NBA and sportswear brands to see how they would react to the developments ahead of the looming 2017 ASW set to take place in Charlotte. At a politically perilous moment for everyone involved, the NBA ultimately did move the game to New Orleans but it was a little late in the calendar for brands to change their product offering in time for the game’s weekend. Luckily, the original design of Jordan Brand’s line up not only matched the Charlotte theme but also echoed a message of diversity and inclusion, thanks to a rainbow of iridescent colors, creating a moment worth celebrating for fans of every identity.
6. Nike Air Foamposite One NRG Galaxy
Anyone who was even marginally interested in sneakers in 2012 would be blind to miss the insanity that surrounded the Nike Air Foamposite One “Galaxys,” henceforth known as the “Galaxy Foams.” The interest was so intense that long before the shoes even released Nike had to shut down its SoHo store after giving away wristbands that acted as tickets for future buyers. Even before the shoes dropped during ASW of 2012, they were immediately the most hyped sneaker that the brand had released to date and would have maintained that distinction if it weren’t for the Air Yeezy 2 that dropped just four months later. Between the starry upper and the glowing outsole, the shoe holds up even now.
7. adidas Yeezy Boost 750 Light Bone
After officially leaving Nike in 2013 ahead of the final release of his eponymous Air sneakers, Kanye West confirmed a future collaborative relationship with adidas that he hoped would satisfy his creative impulses and financial expectations. Then silence followed. A lot of silence. It was more than a year later when the highly anticipated adidas Yeezy Boost 750 became available in Light Bone. In many ways it was Kanye’s sneaker debut, combining all the references to high fashion he’d become known for with the sportswear he rocked daily. This was the launch of the Yeezy brand we know today, and we often forget it was an ASW release.
8. Reebok Kamikaze II All-Star
The Reebok Kamikaze II “All-Star” returned in 2013 for the first time since it originally released way back in 1995. Back then, the Kamikaze was worn by one of the greatest dunkers of all time, Shawn Kemp. Kemp was selected to play during ASW for the Western Conference and debuted the never before seen navy and white pair of the Kamikaze II. Kemp finished the game with 13 points and four rebounds in the new Reebok colorway, showcasing what the shoes had to offer on the court. But it was 2013 when Reebok dove into the vault and retro’d the Kamikaze II for the first time ever, reintroducing the Athletic Navy/White colorway originally worn by Kemp at the 1996 ASW game as a part of the brand’s unique history.
9. Kobe 9 Elite NOLA Gumbo League “Maestro”
We all know that the path to a sneakerhead’s heart is through their feet… and their stomach, which is why the Kobe 9 Elite NOLA Gumbo League “Maestro” is such a legendary ASW shoe. Part of a larger Gumbo League collection, Kobe’s specific colorway paid tribute to NOLA’s jazz legacy and tied perfectly to his tendency to improvise within a game. And they glowed in the dark which is always tight. The sky-high silhouette landed with a bang, and while the reaction was strong to the unique shape, it was eventually accepted as a modern classic.
10. adidas x Bristol Studio Crazy BYW
In the past couple of years, Bristol Studios has more than made a name for themselves, but they earned their first huge influx of fans when their first collaboration with adidas dropped for ASW in 2017. Helping adidas remix the classic adidas Crazy 8, the Crazy BYW features a dynamic and bulbous Boost sole under a suede, nubuck, and leather upper that plays with textures and grey tones, getting its only injection of color from an orange outsole that picks up the orange details through the lacing system and a lace lock at the heel. In a post-Off-White x Nike world, the sneakers are less shocking but early 2018 was a different time. The shoes had a real impact and continue to stand the test of time.
In 2016, ASW was practically hosted by Drake in his hometown of Toronto, Canada. We all know Aubrey likes to put on a show, especially when a historic event like ASW is in his very own backyard. Drizzy and Jordan Brand teamed up to release one of the most sought-after sneakers in Jumpman history, the Air Jordan 10 OVO. Sharing an iconic moment with the one and only Kobe Bryant during his last ASW game, Drake somehow still managed to win big for his clothing brand, shoe partnership, and The 6. These premium kicks will be remembered forever.
12. Air Jordan x Travis Scott 33
You would think Kevin Durant won ASW 2019 after dropping a whopping 31 points, shooting 6 for 9 from the 3-point line at the NBA game that week. But no…that wasn’t the case. Travis Scott aka La Flame lived up to his name and lit the entire city of Charlotte on fire with the release of his Air Jordan 33. The sneaker sold out quicker than John Wall hits a fast break. This release was the follow up from a serious Travis x Jordan shock drop that had the entire sneaker community on edge for a pair under the Cactus Jack umbrella.
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