Image via Complex Original
Bill Clinton was President, Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" topped the charts, and the Fab Five were doing their thing at Michigan — sometimes 1993 doesn't really seem like it was that long ago, and sometimes it does. One thing is for sure, though: 1993 was smack dab in the middle of the glory days when it came to sneakers. Michael Jordan was in the midst of what seemed to be an unstoppable title run, companies were turning out wild signature basketball shoes and high-tech runners by the ton, and skate was rapidly becoming a viable commodity. Flip through to check out The 20 Best Sneakers of 1993 and feel free to share your own favorites.
20. Ewing Focus
The revived Ewing Athletics brand hails the strapped-up Focus as the second-most popular Ewing sneaker behind the already retroed 33 High. So it follows that a retro of the Focus must surely be on the horizon. The "road" version - orange and blue and black - would be a great place to start.
19. Saucony Jazz 4000
New Balance isn't the only sneaker company who made their shoes in Maine. Saucony produced the futuristic-named Jazz 4000 in Bangor, and the technically advanced runner melded the soul of the original Jazz with the high-tech advances of the early '90s. Well played.
18. Reebok Shaq Attaq II Low
On the one hand, the Reebok Shaq Attaq II wasn't the best-looking shoe, and was a hell of a departure from the original Pump-based model. On the other hand, it was light, low cut, and preceded the vaguely similarly cut (and beloved) Air Jordan XIV by half a decade. Also, Shaq had lows while Kobe was still in high school.
17. Fila Jam Ball
Forget the sneaker itself and just look at that outsole. Who needs herringbone and boring stuff like that when you can have an actual basketball player on the sole of your shoe? We're not saying that these inspired the entire And1 aesthetic (the company was founded the same year), but hey, who knows.
16. Nike Air Carnivore
A bit of an evolutionary dead end, the radical Air Carnivore trainer was the Huarache Trainer on steroids. Higher cut and entirely laceless, the Carnivore closed via a complex series of straps and buckles and was seemingly designed for a dystopic future that never actually arrived.
15. Airwalk Jim
The design of the Airwalk Jim was bare-bones basic, it was the constuction that made it stand out. Done up in bright tennis ball fuzz decades before the ALIFE Pumps, the Jim also came in a deep red patent with a bit of bass-boat sparkle. Shinin'.
14. Fila Cage
Outside of the Grant Hill line, the FILA Cage might be FILA's most beloved basketball sneaker. Designed for no one in particular, the Cage featured a distinctive foam ankle collar that wouldn't be out of place in a modern art museum.
13. ASICS GEL Lyte V
While the GEL Lyte III gets retroed and collaborated on seemingly every year, the equally ill GEL Lyte V gets no love. Well, that's gonna have to change. The 1993 GEL Lyte is finally getting remade, and we'll see how many people stick with its split-tongue predecessor once they have the choice.
12. Converse Run N' Slam
Long before he was elected mayor of Sacramento, Kevin Johnson received an equally significant honor from Converse. The iconic basketball company blessed the Suns guard with his own signature shoe, the React Juice enhanced Run N Slam, which also featured one of the narrowest Velcro straps in basketball sneaker history.
11. Nike Air Trainer Max
Not to be confused with 1991's Air Trainer Max, which wasn't actually an Air Max shoe at all (we don't get it, either), the 1993 Nike Air Trainer Max utilized the then-new full heel Max bubble and a smooth leather and nubuck upper in a uniquely stylish and functional manner. Even Bo may not have known this one as well as he should have.
10. Airwalk NTS
NTS stood for "Not The Same," and Airwalk meant it. The mid-cut NTS was quite the departure from their wildly successful Prototype line, and not just because it was far lower and slimmer than the overly padded skate classics. The NTS went with monochrome uppers in multiple flavors long before that was cool, and took something of a "less is more" approach when it came to build - at least for the time.
9. Converse Aerojam
Larry Johnson was going to be the future of basketball. Sure, a lot of people were, but LJ was different. He had the charisma, he had the gold tooth, and oh man did he have the game. He signed with Converse straight out of UNLV, and a scrapped commercial had his elders giving him the ultimate blessing - Larry Bird giving his first name, Magic Johnson his last. He would be the one to put Converse back in their rightful place atop the game. Well, all that didn't quite work out, but his Converse Aerojam sure was dope.
8. ASICS GEL Kayano Trainer
From humble beginnings, a dynasty was born. The ASICS GEL Kayano Trainer birthed a whole line of elite runners, the Kayano, which is currenty in its 19th incarnation. The first Kayano wasn't nearly as technically advanced as it is now - no surprise seeing that ASICS has had 20 years to innovate - but it was a marvel of its time and is long overdue a return. Domo arigato, Mr. Kayano.
7. Nike Air Jordan VIII
The Air Jordan VIII represented a radical departure from the stripped-down VII - it was overstuffed, strapped-up, and possibly responsible for some foot issues MJ suffered from in his first three-peat season. (We're assuming the VIIIs weren't the reason he retired, though.) That said, Marvin the Martian wasn't entirely wrong in hoarding them. Tinker Hatfield's designs may always polarize, but given enough time they're also all revered as classics. The Air Jordan VIII is no different.
6. Nike Air Max 93
Overshadowed by its '87, '90, '95 and '97 siblings - not to mention the more recent iterations - the Nike Air Max '93 really deserves more recognition. It may have been the best-fitting Air Max, what with it's Huarache-esque neoprene bootie, and it was certainly the maxiest to that point, as it was the first Air Max runner with a full-heel bubble. Add another placesetting at the adult table.
5. adidas Mutombo
Shaq wasn't the only baller getting laced with size 20-plus signature kicks in the early '90s. And Dikembe Mutombo's first adidas signature shoe was nothing short of incredible. The more or less standard hightop was dressed up in wild African motifs befitting Mutombo's Congolese roots - beating Jeremy Scott to the punch by two decades.
4. New Balance 998
Was there a year in the late '80s and early '90s where New Balance didn't introduce a killer silhouette? OK, probably, but 1993 sure wasn't one of them. The 998, featuring a massive ABZORB midsole, and New Balance's traditional suede and mesh construction, still stands as one of their best creations yet. And while inline models have been great, apparel giant J. Crew has turned out some of the best colorways yet.
3. Nike Air Raid II
Nike's Air Raid wasn't the first outdoor-specific basketball sneaker, but with its cross-straps and brilliant Wieden & Kennedy advertising push, it remains the best-remembered. The sequel, which featured some way out-there colorways and support from Spike Lee, was just as good as the original. The Lethal Weapon 2 of basketball shoes, if you will - only without Patsy Kensit.
2. Nike Air Huarache Light
The Nike Air Huarache Light was an even more extreme take on the Huarache concept than Tinker Hatfield's original runner. A supremely basic (and form-fitting) slip-on shoe of suede and mesh, the Huarache Light's primary structure came in the form of a simple exoskeleton with three eyelets. It's been retroed with leather panels (by Stüssy) and with a Free sole, but the original version (in the original black/blue/red colorway) is still the best.
1. Nike Air Force Max
The only sneaker to be equally identified with Charles Barkley and the Michigan Fab Five, the Nike Air Force Max had a coolness factor that other sneakers could only dream of. The bridge between the Air Force 180 Low and Sir Charles's signature line, the Air Force Max featured the all-new, full-heel Max bubble and a midfoot strap for a lockdown fit. The Fab Five rocked the black/grey joints with black socks and baggy shorts, ushering in a whole new era.