20 Sneakers That Have Lived Double Lives

Image via Complex Original

Year Of Release: 1980
First Life: Basketball Sneaker
Second Life: Skate Shoe

The adidas Campus bears almost no resemblance to basketball sneakers of today, but trust, that's what they started out as. The Beastie Boys did their part in the early '90s, rediscovering them as a pure fashion statement before skaters started shredding the inevitable retros. This led to an actual Campus Skate, made more durable than the originals.

Year Of Release: 1988
First Life: Cross Trainer
Second Life: Tennis Shoe

Tinker Hatfield developed the Air Trainer 1 as an all-sports trainer, but John McEnroe had a different idea. Before "cross-training" even became a household word (or, um, two words) Mac made it his de facto signature tennis shoe. Later, it earned an unprecedented third life as a Nike SB crossover.

Year Of Release: 1984
First Life: Luxury Sneaker
Second Life: Reebok S. Carter

No one ever bought Guccis to play tennis-they were stricty flossing shoes for stylish dudes who made their money in, er, nontraditional fashion. When he signed his deal with Reebok and got his own sneaker, Jay Z looked back to the ultimate hustler shoe for inspiration.

Year Of Release: 1981
First Life: Tennis Shoe
Second Life: Football terrace icon

Before guys like Russell Wesbrook were known as "stylish" for recycled blog wear, men on tennis courts were setting real trends. Bjorn Borg, Swedish heartthrob and the most dominant player of the '70s, was known for his Fila track jackets. He was also known, across the football loving nations of Europe, for his particularly sleek shoe-the Diadora Borg Elite. It dropped in multiple colors, was reassuringly expensive, and became standard kit for a group of match goers who'd become known as "casuals." Aside from their hooligan tendencies, these blokes knew how to dress. They set trends. They picked up new labels with blazing pace. And, most important, they created a culture of sneaker collecting that sewed the seeds for the fervor we have today.

Year Of Release: 1983
First Life: Running Shoe
Second Life: Pub classic

Launched in 1983 as a response (in part) to the Nike Cortez, the Reebok Classic Leather was the brand's first true success story. Consumers around the world fawned over the glove leather-it jumped from runner to casual shoe immediately and was seen on the foot of the coolest stars around. Print advertisements for the shoe showed a couple on a motorcycle and the tag line "You've Arrived." With it Reebok arrived as a crossover hit. The trickle down from stars to general consumers made the Classic Leather an icon on English streets. It has been occasionally derided as "Chavvy," but real heads recognize the power of the silhouette. Pubs being the best meeting places for Brits, and the Classic Leather being ubiquitous on the feet of all folks wanting to be somewhat stylish without breaking the bank, the shoe has a second life in pint swilling culture. Remember the term "Pub Classic." This is the shoe that helped coin it.

Year Of Release: 1994
First Life: Indoor Soccer
Second Life: Fixed Gear favorite

Sometimes it takes sneaker companies a little while to catch up with trends, and when fixed-gear cycling became a thing a decade or so ago, no one was prepared with sneakers. So it fell to shoes like the Nike Tiempo, a little-known silhouette outside the soccer world, to become de facto cycling shoes. Later, Nike released an updated version specifically designed for cycling, but the initial adoption was 100 percent authentic.

Year Of Release: 1969
First Life: Basketball Sneaker
Second Life: Hip-Hop Icon

The Superstar may have started on the basketball court but its second life is the more famous one. With the help of Run DMC, Shelltoes became one of the biggest sneakers in hip hop culture. The partnership between adidas and Run DMC also opened the door for artists of today to have the opportunity for sneaker deals and signature sneakers.

Year Of Release: 1972
First Life: Running Shoe
Second Life: LA Gangster shoe in the 80s and 90s

Kendrick Lamar isn't the first "gangster" to wear the Nike Cortez. As a matter of fact, the Cortez was a 'hood staple for most of the west coast through the '80s and '90s. You may see people wearing them more frequently now but back in the day that waffle sole design seemed like it was specifically designed for running from 5-0. Wait, does this mean Forrest Gump was a gangster?

Year Of Release: 1995
First Life: Basketball Sneaker
Second Life: Christmas Present

You know the deal. Tinker made them shine. Mike made them fly. Nike made them the reason you miss Christmas eve dinner, year after year.

Year Of Release: 1997
First Life: Basketball Sneaker
Second Life: Collector's Classic

The Nike Air Foamposite One may have been designed for basketball and made famous by Penny and Lil Penny but they were more of a dope boy sneaker back in the day. The modern day versions of the Foamposite seem to be more about collecting and showing that you have them then anything to do with its original release.

Year Of Release: 1983
First Life: Tennis Shoe
Second Life: Skate Shoe

Having appropriated a sneaker himself once, John McEnroe seemingly didn't object when skateboarder Gino Ianucci chose the Challenge Court to be his next shoe from Nike SB. In fact, Johnny Mac even starred in the commercial, in which no umpires were harmed.

Year Of Release: 1987
First Life: Running Shoe
Second Life: Casual Classic

From being the first sneaker to really make people understand what "Air" cushioning is all about, to one of the most niche collector's classic, the Air Max 1 is truly iconic. Long gone are the days it spent as a high performance running sneaker but it's maintained such a following that it's a regular on the shelves of nearl any footwear retailer.

Year Of Release: 1970
First Life: Tennis Shoe
Second Life: Hacky Sack Sneaker

In one of the stranger cases of re-purposing, the classic adidas Rod Laver tennis shoe became the favored footbag shoe in the universe. There are even online tutorials on how to lace your Lavers properly for Hacky Sack supremacy. You can't make this stuff up.

Year Of Release: 1985
First Life: Basketball Sneaker
Second Life: Skate Shoe Favorite

The Air Jordan 1 managed to be two things at once right from the start, but not in the sense we're talking here. After the initial run sold out almost immediately, Nike decided to produce a lot more-too many. The shoe that everyone had to have was already had by everyone at that point, and the rest just sat there, eventually all going on sale for dirt cheap. Enter skateboarders. Those searching for something a bit sturdier than canvas Vans discovered these cheap hightops, and thus supply and demand did its work.

Year Of Release: 1973
First Life: Basketball Sneaker
Second Life: B-Boy Sneaker

While adidas may have had hip hop on lock with Shelltoes, the B-Boys went another route when it came to picking their sneakers and track suits. PUMA Clydes may have been intended for the basketball court back in 1973, the unequivocal cool factor of Walt "Clyde" Frazier made these just as important off the hardwood. In the late '70s and early '80s, the break dancing phenomenom became huge and the PUMA Clyde/Suede broke into pop culture history thanks to the B-Boys.

Year Of Release: 1988
First Life: Basketball Sneaker
Second Life: The Ultimate Lifestyle Sneaker

What more can be said about the Air Jordan III, it's on its way to being the most popular sneaker of all time. It's not only changed the way sneakers are on the court but essentially is the catalyst for everything that's going on in the world of sneakers today. The retro craze has never been bigger and never has there been more people into sneakers. Thanks, Air Jordan III.

Year Of Release: 1983
First Life: Basketball Sneaker
Second Life: Most Mainstream Sneaker Ever

The Air Force 1 may have changed the game of basketball in the early '80s but it surely didn't stop there. Before there were people known for customizing sneakers, the Nike Air Force 1 was known as the shoe to customize. Before the Internet insulted us with corny nicknames, the Air Force 1 was one of the first to receive a nickname in the natural way, from the streets. Uptowns may have had their ups and downs as far as trendiness over the years but their place in history is undeniable. Whether you're just an average joe, a hustler from the steet or just a kid that likes to hoop, the Air Force 1 is about as trusted as it gets when it comes to sneakers.

Year Of Release: 1985
First Life: Basketball Sneaker
Second Life: Skate Shoe

Nike Dunks may have originated on the basketball court but thanks to Nike Skateboarding, they've been one of the most sought after skate shoes for the last 15 years. The SB version of the Dunk has gone through a few variations ––stuffed tongues, collar padding, etc.–– but the classic lines have remained the same, despite the silhouette becoming the ultimate blank canvas for any skate shop that is granted a collab.

Year Of Release: 1991
First Life: Running Shoe
Second Life: Menswear Staple

When the GEL Lyte III released in 1991, there were no leather sweat pants and no care about whether your denim was made in Japan or in the US. All that mattered was the split-tongue design was innovative and as high performance as you could get in a running shoe. Today, the ASICS classic lives a different life, a life of limited releases below cuffed ankles and designer labels, with resale values ranging from insane to absurd.

Year Of Release: 1917
First Life: Basketball Sneaker
Second Life: Iconic All Purpose Sneaker

Yes kids, there was once a time when the Converse All Star Chuck Taylor represented the very pinnacle of basketball sneaker performance. That time has long since passed, but the Chuck Taylor remains a staple. Once it was off the hardwood, it was adopted by rockers, then rappers, as an inexpensive yet stylish sneaker that went with everything and could be tossed after a couple of weeks. We're guessing even ol' Chuck himself would be surprised by the longevity.