Basketball Shoes

Converse's Original Chuck Taylor All Stars shoe was the first brand to become prominent, in the 1930s. They offered a canvas, high topped upper designed to protect and support the players' ankles as they jumped and ran on the court. Because of that and the rubber sole, over 600 million pairs were sold.

Basketball shoes have evolved a great deal since those early days, of course. Most are now made of leather rather than canvas. Soles are specially cushioned to give maximum support, bounce and style. That same basic, high-topped style is still popular with most basketball shoes you'll find on sale today, though. The retro, canvas style itself has made a huge comeback in recent years.

Canvas shoes may not be worn by the pro-basketball stars, many of whom have deals with shoe manaufacturers. However, they're still seen on the feet of students, skaters, and anyone else who wants to look good and feel comfortable in a great pair of basketball shoes. The classic Chuck Taylor is still the best selling basketball shoe of all time, outselling even Nike's Air Jordan. Originally available only in black, the shoes now come in every color imaginable, and around 30,000 pairs are sold every week. Not bad, especially when you consider the competition.

Brands of Basketball Shoe

Although there are as many different brands of basketball shoes out there as there are basketball players, none are as well known as Nike's Air Jordan. Named after the player Michael Jordan, who signed a deal with the company in 1984, the shoes themselves didn't become popular until around 1985. That's when sales of the distinctive high tops, with their logo featuring Jordan doing a slam dunk, really started to take off. The shoes have been through 21 redesigns since their inception, and still continue to sell steadily, with earlier versions now becoming something of a collectors item.

The current breed of Air Jordan shoes is sleek, modern and innovative-- no wonder they're still the brand that's become synonymous with basketball shoes!

{http://www.adidas.com Adidas] too, have had some success with their basketball shoes. They were the first company to introduce the [[Shoe Laces|]]laceless basketball shoe, the T-Mac, in 2004. Reebok, New Balance and Asics also manufacture basketball shoes, and have a huge selection available.

Where to Buy

You'll find basketball shoes in any sports store, as well as from the following online retailers:

• Zappos
• Eastbay.com
• Footlocker
• Hoopsvibe
• Sneakerhead
• PickYourShoes.com
• Shoebuy.com
• NextTag

Getting the Right Fit

As with any kind of sport shoe, it's important to make sure that your basketball shoes are a good fit--particularly if you'll be using them for the purpose for which they were intended--playing basketball! Basketball shoes were designed to support the ankle, so you should make sure that the high top is comfortable and firm. It should not be so still that it hurts. You should be able to insert a finger between the back of the shoe and your ankle, and should be able to easily run and jump in the shoes, even when they're brand new.

When you're trying on new basketball shoes, it's a good idea to try them out properly. Rather than just standing up in them to make sure the shoe fits, try making a few jumps, or go for a slow jog around the store if space permits. Don't make the mistake of thinking that your new shoes will "wear in"--they should be just as comfortable when they come out of the box as they are after a few dozen games!