10 Sneaker Signature Series We'd Like To See Resurrected

None

Life span: 1982 - 1988

"Endorsed By No One" has been New Balance's battle cry for some time now, at least in part motivated by their ultimately ill-fated signing of James Worthy in the early '80s. This in itself does not bode well for a reunion. However, Worthy's endorsement and name did introduce New Balance's already excellent basketball line (previously worn by the likes of Celtic benchwarmer M.L. Carr) to a new audience, and the Laker-themed hightops went from the Forum floor to high school hallways. Seeing that New Balance is still maintaining a tenuous NBA presence, it's time to get Big Game James's name back on the tongues and on the floor.

Life span: 1985 - 1996

Stefan Edberg? Yup. Dude wore adidas his entire career, won six Grand Slam singles titles, and was the best Swede in the game after Björn Borg. Sure, the obvious choice of a tennis line to resurrect would be Andre Agassi's, but Edberg won nearly as many titles in just about half the time (Agassi won eight singles titles over a 20-year career) and his adidas Torsion line was as mean as his game. Leave the classics to Rod Laver and Stan Smith, and honor the serve-and-volley master with a new shoe.

Life span: 1992 - 2000

The open letter worked with Reebok and Allen Iverson, but no love with Shaq’s line... yet. We want to take it a step further and get Reebok to produce a new series of kicks for the Big Socrates. Like his counterpart Barkley, the television gig keeps his name relevant in the league and to be honest Reebok has never really gone out of the box and hit it dead on like they did with the Shaqs. Get Big back in the fold in order to put his Dunkman logo on some of the old joints, and while you're at it, whip him up something new.

Life span: 1996 - 2001

Pip was always laced in something dope after he made the jump from Avia to Nike, and when he got his own signature line in '96 it quickly became one of the top signature lines alongside Mike's and Penny's. The Pippen I looked ill on the court although Scottie wasn’t feeling the full-length Air Max unit. Once the IIs featuring Zoom Air hit, they looked even sleeker and easier to wear off the court as well. Always courtside at Bulls games and still clearly a big fan of the game, Pip is still in the mix. We need Nike to carry on the legacy of the Bull who was just as crucial to the rings as MJ himself. Plus, ending on that MORF shoe — not the way to go out.

Life span: 1992 - 1996

It’s crazy to think that Nike passed on L.J. after his Runnin’ Rebels did so much for the brand but after we saw the Aero Jams and the Grandmama campaign it seems like everything worked out for the best. Converse was still making a lot of noise in the '90s, and to date, the Aero Jams still hold weight as one of the illest basketball sneakers to ever be donned on the hardwood. It's been 20 years since the original drop and we can’t help but think that this would be a solid marketing tool for the brand, a way to get another dope sneaker back on the playground, and also honor a player who never truly got his deserved daps. Put your L's up.

Life span: 1989-Present

This should be a no-brainer. Cab was the first skater to get a signature shoe with Vans, and is still on the roster. His legendary Half Cab is widely considered the best (or at least most influential) skate shoe of all time, and has been skated by virtually every pro, no matter their affiliation. There was a whole run of Cab sigs in the '90s, but none made the impact of the Half Cab. Seeing that Cab is still skating, maybe it's time to give it another go.

Life span: 1996 - 2003

GP’s Glove series still can’t be touched. The lockdown style of the shoe fit Payton’s defensive mentality perfectly and aesthetically the joints were hot. When you look across the league and see what the guards are wearing its all about lightweight. We’d like to see what Nike could do taking styling cues from Payton’s old series and meshing it with the technological advances being made in Beaverton—the end result might even persuade GP out of retirement.

Life span: 1992 - 1997

It’s not like he is completely removed from the game — Sir Charles continues to be a force in the NBA with his gig on TNT. With the timely anniversary of the ’92 Dream Team which featured the Air Force 180s that helped Chuck throw ‘bows even in international play, we don’t mind the retro drop this summer but we would like to see The Swoosh cook up something new. As Mike's foil in the '90s, the premier power player of his generation, and a born pitchman, Chuck could sell water to a well — a new shoe would be easy.

Life span: 1993 - 1997

Has there ever been an athlete quite as flashy as Prime Time? Whether he was burning QBs with the bait and pick six, returning kickoffs 90-plus yards with ease, or stealing bases every time he got on base, no one made it look as easy as Neon Deion. Nike re-released the Diamond Turf IIs after much anticipation and it has been a minute since Nike has blessed us with a turf trainer (let alone a two-sport trainer) like the gems of the late '80s and '90s. With football ratings being at an all time high (and Nike getting those uniform rights), we can’t help but think that this is one line that could excel the most.  

Life span: 1996-2009

The recent re-release of The Question proved what most real b-ball fans knew all along — Allen Iverson may be gone from the NBA, but not from the hearts and minds of countless fans. And while his sneaker legacy isn't quite as solid as MJ's,  like Mike, AI's on-court résumé and off-court impact should be enough to keep his name relevant long after he's done.