The Biggest Surprises in Sneaker History

Year: 2006
Sneaker: Starbury One

Marbury may have become the ringleader of crazies but at one point he at least seemed to have a head on his shoulders. Though, we would have never expected him (or anyone for that matter) to co-sign sneakers that retailed for about $15. Marbury teamed up with Steve and Barrry's to produce Starbury sneakers that aimed to provide a decent pair of kicks for those not fortunate enough to be able to get other more costly hoops shoes. Eventually, Steve and Barry's filed for bankruptcy, went out of business and Marbury was left filing a $2 million lawsuit, scratching his Starbury tattoo wondering what went wrong. Well, you see Stephon...ah nevermind.

Year: 2004
Sneaker: Reebok Question

The $65,000 Question sounds more like a midday TV game show than a sneaker but Reebok actually did this back in '04. While we can't condone a $65,000 diamond encrusted sneaker or a "Money Bagz" tattoo. We can imagine the both going hand in hand if you got this pair, or if you're name is Allen Iverson.

Year: 2001
Sneaker: Converse Chuck Taylor

How does the company that produces the most popular sneaker in the world end up filing for bankruptcy? Dennis Rodman and Master P's No Limit were left wondering the same. We're not sure either but we do know that Nike sure was quick to swoop up on the ailing Converse brand when they seemingly hit rock bottom in 2001. Over a decade later, Converse has revived retro line and a flourishing skate line, amongst other successes. Nike knows.

Year: 1995
Sneaker: Nike Air Flight One

Michael Jordan not wearing Air Jordans? It happens. In fact, in one of the most unforgettable sneakerhead moments, it happened in the 1995 Eastern Conference Finals. MJ laced up a pair of Penny Hardaway's Nike Air Flight Ones after wearing the Air Jordan XI in Game 1. Few will ever know the actual truth behind the switch but it's safe to say Hardaway probably gets some joy out of knowing MJ wore only one other player's signature model and it was Penny's.

Year: 1999
Sneaker: And1 Tai Chi

What started as a line of trash-talking t-shirts that everyone seemed to order from the back of Slam magazine, eventually become one of the hottest sneaker brands of the turn of the century. In fact, you may even be able to argue that for a brief moment in the late '90s, And1 was THE hottest sneaker brand around. Queue the Vince Carter dunk contest highlight reel.

Year: 1997
Sneaker: Nike Air Foamposite One

Oh, to have been a player at a Nike-sponsored top D1 school in the late '90s. Take the Arizona Wildcats. They got everything, and we mean everything. Players suited up in everything from the latest Uptempo to the newest Air Jordans to various retro cross-trainers. And as the NCAA Tournament started, it got even better. Arizona received a shipment of shiny royal blue shoes that weren't even out yet-hadn't even been worn in a game yet. The rest of the team declined to wear them, but point guard Mike Bibby wore his in the NCAA Final. It would have been interesting to watch that game with Penny Hardaway, who had yet to wear his newest signature shoe in an NBA game.

Year: 2003
Sneaker: Reebok S. Carter

Hip hop and sneakers are inseparable nowadays but that hasn't always been the case. In fact, in the '90s it was absurd to think that any rapper would have his own signature sneaker line. Reebok decided to break the code by giving Jay-Z his own sneaker line back in 2003, which was followed by 50 Cent and Pharrell, among others. None of the lines beat the test of time, but maybe now that Reebok is back, we can get some S Dots on our feet to make our cypher complete.

Year: 2013
Sneaker: Reebok Workout

Rick Ross has made a name for himself for embellishing the "truth" in hs lyrics. The rapper went a little too far for Reebok's liking with some lyrics in early 2013 and Ross was left wondering how he was going to remain rich forever. Rumor has it the deal was worth about $3.5-5 million a year for Rozay but only time will tell how the voided partnership will play out for both parties.

Year: 1999
Sneaker: Nike Air Ptarmigan

Rasheed Wallace may be best-known for his devotion to the Nike Air Force 1, but he didn't entirely stay true for his entire career. And even his up-to-date choices raised eyebrows. Most notable was the Air Ptarmigan Gore-Tex trail runner he wore against the Lakers in 1999. It would have almost been understandable if the game was in Portland-hey, it rains a lot and maybe he forgot his game shoes-but judging from the unis it was in Los Angeles, where they don't get a lot of rain. Maybe that's it, though. At least he wasn't wearing Timberlands.

Year: 2011
Sneaker: Nike Air Mag

Back in 1989, the definition of "sneakerhead" could have been this: All you cared about in Back To The Future II was Marty McFly's sneakers. Forget the hoverboard, forget the DeLorean, you wanted a pair of Air MAGs and you wanted them as soon as possible. Well, you didn't have to wait until 2015, but it was close. Nike released a limited number of the Tinker Hatfield designed hightops via auction in 2011, with all proceeds going to Michael J. Fox's Parkinson's foundation. A great sneaker for a great cause-it doesn't get better.

Year: 1987
Sneaker: Nike Air Jordan II

In 1987, Nike as a company was just 15 years old. And just a few years before that, they were a company in trouble, saved by a 6-6 guard from North Carolina. So when it came time to do Michael Jordan's second signature shoe, they could have played it safe. A few changes here and there, make the ball and wings logo more prominent, raise the price a bit and call it good. But no. Instead, they released a sleek, Italian-made sneaker with a polyurethane sole, faux lizard skin trim and-shockingly-no Swoosh at all. For $100. In this case, the bold move was the right one, as the following shoe (also Swooshless) took Air Jordan to new heights.

Year: 2010
Sneaker: Dolce & Gabbana hightop

Players can-and will-wear virtually anything in an NBA game. Especially in recent years. But no one was prepared when, in the winter of 2010, Gilbert Arenas wore a pair of triple-strapped Dolce & Gabbana hightops in a game against the Lakers. The $395 price tag wasn't particularly shocking (have you ever shopped for Jordans at Flight Club?) but the idea of a professional athlete playing in high-end fashion sneakers was. Even with orthotics. Arenas wore tons of different sneakers in '10-11, but none topped these.

Year: 2008
Sneaker: Peak Jason Kidd

Chinese sneaker companies signing NBA players was an inevitability. As the global market for the League expanded and the NBA itself made inroads into Asia, it would have been foolish for them to not try. They did more than that. And the surprise was more a matter of who than when. Kevin Garnett was a slight surprise, although he'd already proven himself to be a sneaker journeyman. Jason Kidd, though-he was Nike through and through, dating back to his days at Cal and the St. Joseph Notre Dame Pilots. Even at the tail end of his Hall of Fame career, his signing was a coup for Peak.

Year: 2012
Sneaker: Nike Penny V

How do you design a new signature shoe for a player who's already retired? Forget the Air Jordan for a moment, as it's continually been in production and stands as THE flagship basketball shoe. Try Penny Hardaway, who played his last game in 2007 and last had a new signature model in 1998. Following the success of the hybrid 1/2 Cent and Zoom Rookie, Nike took the unprecedented step of reviving his signature line with the Air Penny V. Too bad they couldn't do the same for his playing career.

Year: 2008
Sneaker: Nike Air Yeezy

When do you unveil your new signature sneaker to the world? How big a stage do you wear it on? If you're Kanye West, you wear it on the biggest one humanly possible, namely the 50th annual Grammy Awards during your performance. Soon enough everyone would know what the Air Yeezy was.

Year: 1982
Sneaker: Reebok Workout/Freestyle

The leather was a mistake. Reebok's aerobics shoes weren't meant to be made from soft, garment leather-but they were. With no choice other than destroying a whole production run, they put them on shelves and waited to see what would happen. What happened was their largest success to date. Reebok even briefly overtook Nike as the number one sneaker company, that is, until Air Jordan.

Year: 1994
Sneaker: Nike Air Jordan I/II/III

When Michael Jordan retired for the first time in 1993, Nike (and everyone else) was caught off-guard. Signature lines weren't yet the norm, and no one, not even a rookie guard in Orlando or a reigning MVP forward in Phoenix, was ready to take Mike's spot atop the sneaker heap. But someone in Beaverton had an idea: What about re-issuing Jordan's first three sneakers, done up in special packaging? In theory, it was terrific. In reality, it was a disaster. A market unfamiliar with the concept of "retro" spurned the re-issues, leaving them to rot on clearance racks. Five years later they'd do better. Much better.

Year: 2009
Sneaker: Kanye West for Louis Vuitton Mr. Hudson's

Once upon a time, Kanye started a little blog just to get some traffic. Subsequently he shut down the entire Internets by announcing his collaboration with Louis Vuitton. Needless to say, this collab seemed surreal to everyone but at the same time, completely Kanye.

Year: 2012
Sneaker: Nike Roshe Run

The most coveted shoe of any given year is rarely a $70 in-line model, but something different happened when Nike introduced the beyond simple Roshe Run in 2012. For once comfort ruled over limitedness, and higher price did not mean higher demand. Not quite dogs and cats living together, but mass hysteria-perhaps. The Roshe has since been turned out in numerous styles, but the first (and simplest) still stands as the best.

Year: 1998
Sneaker: Air Jordan XIV

Imagine trying to tell Michael Jordan not to wear a certain shoe after he's already gotten it. For that matter, imagine trying to tell Michael Jordan not to do anything. He'd worn the Air Jordan XIII through much of the regular season and the playoffs, but once the Finals rolled around, he needed something even more special. Black low-cut XIIIs made an appearance, but even that wasn't enough. So he unveiled that next-next shit, the Ferrari-inspired Air Jordan XIV. Now that's how you leak something.

Year: 2011
Sneaker: Nike Air Yeezy 2

Wait there was a Mamba movie? Yeah, and Kanye was in it? Yep, it also featured Bruce Willis and Danny Trejo. It was directed by Robert Rodriguez to help launch the Zoom Kobe VI. It was actually just a short film but– oh shit! Are those the Yeezy IIs?

Year: 2005
Sneaker: adidas Climacool Feather III

If anyone was going to be a Nike lifer, it was Andre Agassi. The epitome of tennis cool in the '90s, he was going to be a brand ambassador forever, just like Mike (and Charles, and Bo, and Johnny Mac). But no. In 2005 he jumped ship for adidas, wearing the Three Stripes in the twilight of his career. He's since re-joined the Nike family, where presumably he will stay, but that brief jump is still hard to believe.

Year: 2012
Sneaker: Reebok Shaq Attaq

It's hard enough for sneaker brands to sign new athletes, let alone try and bring back those who've left for greener pastures. Especially when said athletes are retired. But with retro taking up so much of the sneaker market and new signature product being a decided hit-or-miss proposition, it's worth a company's time to bring back someone who's already proven they can move units, especially when interest in their back catalog is high. So before Reebok re-launched '90s favorites the Shaq Attaq and the Shaqnosis, they had to get Shaq back, at least if they wanted to use his Dunkman logo and name. We were not privy to the negotiations, but we are happy they worked.

Year: 2012
Sneaker: Li-Ning Way of Wade

When Dwyane Wade signed on with Jordan, it was supposed to be a homecoming-the guard from Chicago signing with the company that belonged to the guard who defined Chicago. The text read W3LCOM3 HOM3, and there was no reason to believe this wouldn't be a long and fruitful relationship. After all, Wade was so much like Jordan, right down to the championship pedigree and win-at-all-costs playing style. Three years later, he signed with Chinese brand Li Ning. The reasons were all sound, at least from a purely business perspective. But no one saw this coming when Dwyane stood with Mike in 2009.

Year: 1995
Sneaker: Air Jordan XI

It was the sneaker that wasn't supposed to happen. Michael Jordan was (presumably) happily retired, swinging for the fences, and Tinker Hatfield was supposed to have moved on to other things. Even Nike's higher-ups thought Jordan was done with basketball. But Hatfield believed, and he continued working on what would become the Air Jordan XI even as Jordan himself rode buses through the South. The design was epic-no one had ever used such a mix of materials, from patent leather to ballistic mesh to carbon fiber-on a basketball shoe before, but nothing was more appropriate for the shoe that should not be.