What Are Those? 8 Moments in Sneaker History That Had Sneakerheads Stumped

Image via Complex Original

Worn by: Michael J. Fox (Back to the Future II)

Year: 1989

You didn’t have to be a sneakerhead to geek out over these. Back in ’89 when the young style lord Marty McFly donned the futuristic kicks it had everyone that wore shoes dreaming of (auto) lacing a pair up. It took Nike a few decades to actually make it happen (sort of), but it was well worth the wait if you had a couple stacks lying around. Will we finally see a true working version this fall to coincide with the October 21, 2015 date in the film's infamous DeLorean scene? We'll just have to travel back to the future and find out.

Worn by: Michael Jordan (1995 NBA Playoffs)

Year: 1995

Back when MJ was playing in the 4-5 (he eventually switched back to number 23 during the series), Mike came off hiatus to try and help the Bulls regain its spot at the top of the Eastern Conference. Mike wasn’t quite himself after taking few years off, but his sneaker game was still on point. During the semifinals against the Orlando Magic, fans caught a glimpse of the white and black patent leather kicks on his feet that would soon be confirmed to be the Air  Jordan XI. Ahmad Rashad even covered the kicks on air, knowing how much of a game changer the model would be. They went on to a have some success after that, even before social media and blogs took over the sneaker landscape.

Worn by: Mike Bibby (1997 NCAA Championships)

Year: 1997

The shoe was originally designed for Scottie Pippen and when he passed, Nike gave them to Penny. However, neither NBA All-Star was first to rock them, the sneakers were actually sent to the Arizona Wildcats during the 1997 NCAA championships. Bibby and a few teammates broke them out on court and the Foamposite craze took over. Nothing was the same—even 18 years later.

Worn by: Michael Jordan (Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals)

Year: 1998

Did he know it was coming to an end? In his farewell tour as a Chicago Bull, MJ switched from the Air Jordan XIII to the XIVs during the NBA Finals, once again taking control of how he wanted to introduce his next signature shoe. It worked out; he hit another iconic game-winner and the sneakers got just as much of the glory as Jordan did, earning the nickname "Last Shot."

Worn by: Kanye West (Summer Jam)

Year: 2007

HOT 97's Summer Jam has always been the spot were artists break out their classic records, put people on blast, and try to out-stunt one another. In 2007, Kanye West took the stage for an ill "best of" beats battle against Swizz Beatz while rocking his now classic Murakami-designed Jesus piece, a red jacket, and some then-unknown all-red patent leather sneakers. The shoes had hypebeasts going crazy on sneaker forums and Kanye even stunted in that year's August/September issue of Complex without ever name-dropping the brand. Now that's a true testament to the power of the Yeezys influence.

Worn by: Kanye West

Year: 2008

One of Kanye’s most emotional performances to date at the 2008 Grammy Awards was also the night he gave the world a first glimpse of his long rumored Nike Air Yeezy signature sneaker. The shoes featured the Air Revolution tooling and a futuristic look that shared a similar taste level as is Kanye University blog page. He wore a few other samples, including some during his "Glow in the Dark Tour" before they finally released the following spring. Sneaker forums and blogs had a steady stream of content before the Yeezys, but this was definitely a turning point for websites being on top of release news and rumors. 

While Kobe Bryant officially debuted his sixth signature sneaker with Nike in an elaborate short film and marketing campaign featuring a bevy of superstars, it was Kanye that stole the sneaker spotlight by stunting in a sample version of the rumored Air Yeezy II for the first time. We didn’t get a clear detailed shot of the sneakers, but it was enough to have the Internet going crazy with speculation of when the shoes would be released, and how bad your feelings were likely to be hurt for missing out on a pair. 

Worn by: A$AP Rocky

Year: 2011

Jeremy Scott had been respected in the fashion world for quite some time with co-signs from the likes of Kanye West and other artists in the 2000s, but it was a new rapper from Harlem that took it to another level. In Rocky’s first major video, "Peso," which released in 2011, he was seen on the streets shooting dice and wearing some of the "weirdest" sneakers that had everyone asking, "What are those?" Scott and Rocky have gone on to work together on multiple adidas collaborations and even have a Complex cover together.