Cars have famously formed the inspiration for several sneakers. Most notably, the Jordan XIV took form from the Ferrari 550 M and was designed by Tinker Hatfield and Mark Smith. While that shoe marks the interests of its wearer, the Jordan falls to the Dada Spinner in capturing a cultural zeitgeist.
Riding spinners, those gloriously ignorant rims that "keep moving, even when the car stops," was one of several baffling 2000s trends. And, perhaps more gloriously ignorant than the trend itself was the incorporation of a spinning wheel to a basketball shoe. Smartly endorsed by Latrell Sprewell — who, after all, owned a line of spinning rims, "Sprewells" — the sneaker has been universally mocked by sneakerheads since initial launch. Many wonder "How and why the f@ck did three versions of this thing get made?"
The answer? The zeitgeist. If a trend can inspire song, it sure as hell can serve the needs of AAU teams with questionable taste. And, it did. For longer than imaginable and on the feet of All-Stars. Yes, Chris Webber wore them too.
Latrell Sprewell celebrates his birthday today. We celebrate his part in a sneaker that captured a moment, even if failing to capture hearts.
This commercial for the Spinner III essentially sums up our thoughts.
