3. KAJ – Adidas Superstars
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, or Lew Alcindor as he was known early in his Milwaukee days, set many records and trends during his time in the NBA. More commonly known for his success on the court and even on the big screen, a not so well known fact about the big man from UCLA is that he was the first ever NBA player to endorse a basketball sneaker.
The Adidas Jabbar was a must cop shoe when they were first released in 1971. The shoes have more recently been retro-ed as a high cut model but during his playing days, Abdul Jabbar was a low cut guy as he liked the freedom they provided.
The shoe was a very simple design which came in four different colorways (white and blue, blue and white, black and white or red and white) with very little “tech” compared to today’s models.
But for being the very first signature shoe in the NBA, the Adidas Superstars deserve its place on this list.