Eight Team USA Basketball Sneakers That Should Be Retroed Right Now

Image via Complex Original

Player(s): Gary Payton

Year: 2000

It's strange — while Penny Hardaway and Charles Barkley have gotten no shortage of Swoosh retro love, Gary Payton has been all but invisible. The Glove is his most famous shoe, but the GP II, with its iridescent upper and super-aggressive tread pattern is a sleeper.

Player(s): Gary Payton

Year: 1996

That's right, Gary Payton has TWO Olympic gold medals. The Thrill Flight, a takedown of the Zoom Flight 95, isn't his most famous shoe by a long shot, but it's still a classic '90s silhouette. 

Player(s): Larry Johnson

Year: 1994

The Destroyer was technically an outdoor shoe, part of Converse's Tar Max line. That didn't bother Larry Johnson, who wore them as Dream Team II trampled everyone on their way to gold in the 1994 World Championships.

Player(s): John Stockton, David Robinson

Year: 1992

Any shoe versatile enough to be worn by both John Stockton and David Robinson had to be special. The Team USA Ballistic Force utilized crazy saddle-shoe type colorblocking as well as Jordan VII like lacing options on the ankle and a Barkleyesque midfoot strap. Classic.

Player(s): Patrick Ewing

Year: 1992

With the classic 33 High set to return next month, there's all sorts of newfound interest in Patrick Ewing's eponymous line. Assuming all goes well with the initial launch, the Eclipse that Pat wore in Barcelona should be the next logical step.

Player(s): Larry Bird

Year: 1992

Part of the Wave Conquest line, these mids made up for Larry Bird represent a whole overlooked era of Converse's history. In the early '90s, college teams everywhere still rocked the Star Chevron, and while Michael Jordan's star was most certainly in ascendance, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson still had some old man swag. Just check the way Bird popped those tongues.

Player(s): LeBron James

Year: 2004

We know — 2004 is way too recent to be talking retro. But with LeBron's 10th shoe coming next year, it's time he started getting some throwbacks. And while the Air Zoom Generation is the logical place to start, the Zoom LeBron II remains the defining LeBron design. 

Player(s): Scottie Pippen, Chris Mullin

Year: 1992

The most inexplicable Dream Team non-retro remains the classic Air Flight Lite II Mid, worn by Scottie Pippen as both part of the '92 Dream Team and as a Chicago Bull. Super light (especially for the time) and super sleek, the Air Flight Lite II is an all-time classic that deserves to be held in the same regard as the Air Jordan VII and the More Uptempo. Well, close anyway.