The 10 Best NBA Rookie Sneaker Campaigns of All Time

Year: 1994

Shoe: Fila The Hill

As the Will Smith of hoops, Grant Hill was kind of a tough sell coming into the League. He could jump out of the gym, sure, and his Duke pedigree was pristine. Plus, he wasn't Christian Laettner or Bobby Hurley. But at the same time he didn't have the sneaker-selling street cred of a Chris Webber or Jason Kidd. Fila took the no-nonsense route, acknowledging his quasi-dorky roots while still lacing him with a signature shoe as soon as possible. Respect.

Year: 1993

Shoe: Nike Air Max Strong

Chris Webber's time with Nike — and the Golden State Warriors, for that matter — was short like leprechauns, but they still managed to put him in a Barkley-esque signature shoe as well as a classic series of commercials. The "barbershop" spots featured Webber as well as current stars Chris Mullin and David Robinson, as well as legends George Gervin and Artis Gilmore. And even in that select company, CWebb rated his own spot.

Year: 1996

Shoe: adidas Equipment Elevation

Was the kid ready? Maybe not. But from the moment Kobe Bryant put his sunglasses atop his head and announced he was going straight from Lower Merion High School to the NBA, he was the golden child. Jerry West hand-picked him to be a Laker, and Sonny Vaccaro — the one-time champion of Michael Jordan — got him into adidas. The proper signature shoes wouldn't come right away, but a slam-dunk title got him respect — and a great ad.

Year: 1996

Shoe: And 1 Stephon Marbury

One year at Georgia Tech was enough for Stephon Marbury — and enough for Philly company And 1 to make him the signature athlete for their first foray into sneakers. A Coney Island kid sent to Minnesota, Marbury was more or less the face of And 1 — which famously featured a faceless character — before he even turned 20.

Year: 1986

Shoe: adidas Conductor

As easily the most hyped draft pick in New York Knicks history, Patrick Ewing wasn't competing with guys like Ernie Grunfeld and Bill Cartwright — no, the No. 1 pick was going to step right in and start. Rather, as the newest New York icon and an adidas signature athlete, he was going to go toe-to-toe with Run-DMC. adidas did more than their part, hooking up the Hoya Destroya with his own line, his own logo, and the best seat in the house.

Year: 1996

Shoe: Reebok Question

Allen Iverson didn't have the clearest of paths to NBA stardom. When he was sent to jail in high school for his alleged role in a bowling alley brawl, all of the schools that were recruiting him quietly withdrew. Which left one coach — John Thompson of Georgetown — bold enough to take him on. Two years there was enough to transform him into the No. 1 pick — and for Reebok (who already had Shaquille O'Neal and Shawn Kemp) to make him the de facto face of the brand. His earliest commercials, where he just talked, were as powerful as they were different. As for The Question, you know all about that.

Year: 1992

Shoe: Reebok Shaq Attaq

Both literally and figuratively, there has never been a bigger figure (word to JT) in the NBA than Shaq. Already a larger-than-life figure at LSU, O'Neal was recruited by all the major sneaker companies, and famously arrived at Nike's Beaverton campus decked out from head to toe in Reebok gear. Phil Knight was not amused. So Shaq signed with the Vector and was immediately blessed with a signature shoe and all the trimmings. Perhaps as a direct frontal assault on the "big men don't sell shoes" theory, Reebok sent select retailers Shaq Attaq display shoes in Shaq's own size 20. Big indeed.

Year: 1992

Shoe: Converse Aero Jet

Coming out of UNLV, Larry Johnson seemed like a can't-miss kind of guy. His game was ferocious, his gold tooth flashy. He wore Nikes in Vegas, so it seemed logical that he'd be a Swoosh endorser in the L as well. Not so fast. According to LJ himself, Nike wasn't so enamored with his talents, and he wound up with Converse instead. Which may have been for the best. While their initial idea for an ad — with fellow endorsers Larry Bird and Magic Johnson blessing him with their first and last names respectively — never happened, his willingness to dress up as Grandmama pushed the envelope and created an all-time classic.

Year: 1984

Shoe: Nike Air Jordan

Want proof that the '80s were incredibly different? Try this — after Nike determined that Michael Jordan would be the future of Nike basketball moving forward, they put him in his signature shoe long before it would be made available to the public. Six MONTHS before. Even the infamous "Banned" commercial was produced before they even had a product on the market. Of course when the shoes did hit, in April of '85, they were an immediate sensation. Free to build the brand without the pressure of immediate sales, Nike turned Air Jordan into a juggernaut before they sold a single shoe. That's power.

Year: 2003

Shoe: Nike Air Zoom Generation

And the Chosen One would be King. LeBron James entered the NBA with the greatest of expectations on his shoulders, and Nike only built on them. His first shoe, the Air Zoom Generation, was designed by a dream team of Nike designers, including Tinker Hatfield. A special version was made to celebrate his first home game, complete with the date embroidered into the lining, ready-made holy relics. And rather than downplay his "King James" nickname, Nike ran with it, shooting the prodigy in a throne surrounded by lions. Once in a lifetime stuff for a once in a lifetime player.