9 Nike Signature Athletes with Post-Career Kicks

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This past week, several folks on the Nike roster have released a series of videos about the significance of being a Nike signature athlete. Less than 1% of Nike athletes ever see their name associated with a product or line of goods from the Swoosh, but for many, the stories of their success in their sneakers live a life much longer than their professional playing career.

With successful retro launches and active involvement from the athletes in telling the stories of their wins in the game and in their Nike shoes, many athletes are relevant to today’s market despite the only way today’s teens can see them in action is via YouTube clips. Have a look through our list of 9 Nike signature athletes who have had successful post-playing career kicks.

Bo Jackson

Athlete: Bo Jackson
Sport: Football, Baseball, Training
Years Active: 1986-1994

The legendary dual-sport athlete Bo Jackson was the celebrated frontman for the division of Nike Training. Nike celebrated his limitless athleticism through a series of television and magazine ads highlighting his ability to do almost anything and accel. During his playing career, Bo was known for his training regiment and the various Nike trainers – most notably the Nike Air Trainer 1 and Nike Air Trainer SC.

Post-pro career, Bo Jackson has been utilized in the relaunch of Nike Training. In 2010, Nike Training launched performance updates to classic shoes that Bo made famous including the Nike Trainer 1 (update of the Air Trainer 1) and the Nike Air Trainer SC 2010 (update of the Air Trainer SC). This past year, Nike Sportswear released the Nike Air Max Bo Jax which was a new shoe that took inspiration from several Bo Jackson shoes. Off the field and outside of the gym, Bo’s legend lives on with regular retro releases of the shoes he sported back in the day.

Ken Griffey Jr.

Athlete: Ken Griffey, Jr.
Sport: Baseball, Training
Years Active: 1989-2010

Ken Griffey Jr. started his professional baseball career at the age of 19 when he was drafted by the Seattle Mariners. While Griffey was an active participant in campaigns and sported Nike cleats from the beginning, things didn’t take off on the footwear front for him until the mid-90s when he took over as a visible player for Nike Training with the Trainer Max 2 ’94. Signature shoes followed shortly thereafter with the release of the Diamond Fury with his jersey number stitched to the side of the shoe and dressed in the Mariner’s new colors. The Nike Air Max Griffey 1 debuted a year later and was followed by 7 more Air Max models and one Shox. Like Bo Jackson, his shoes have been remixed with new technology creating new shoes from old designs.

Gary Payton

Athlete: Gary Payton
Sport: Basketball
Years Active: 1990-2007

Like Nike, Gary Payton had ties to the state of Oregon has played at Oregon State during his college days. Payton wore Nike shoes throughout his playing career but got his signature line in 1996 with the introduction of the Nike Air Zoom Flight “The Glove” carrying his nickname. Beyond his signature shoes, Payton was an active participant in Nike Basketball campaigns as one of the members of the Fun Police.

Nike Sportswear reintroduced “The Glove” in 2013 followed by a remix of several of his models in the form of the Nike Zoom Sonic Flight.

Scottie Pippen

Athlete: Scottie Pippen
Sport: Basketball
Years Active: 1987-2004

Scottie Pippen spent the bulk of his pro-career playing alongside the Greatest Of All Time with the Chicago Bulls but made his own impact on the sneaker market too. Pippen was an integral part of Nike Basketball’s “Flight” when it was launched in 1989. Years and models after, Scottie debuted many of the premier kicks for Nike Basketball until he got his first signature shoe, the Nike Air Pippen in 1996. Four models later, Pippen had a total of 5 Nike Basketball signature shoes while playing and even saw some of his shoes retro at the end of his career.

Samples of a Nike Air Pippen 6 have been cooked up by Nike, but no word yet if and when those will release.

Deion Sanders

Athlete: Deion Sanders
Sport: Football, Baseball, Training
Years Active: 1989-2005

Neon Deion was another dual-sport athlete representing the Swoosh on both the diamond and gridiron. Under the Diamond Turf series of sneakers, Deion Sanders had five models with Nike followed by special PE cleats cooked up by Jordan Brand. Though Deion officially left Nike and went to Under Armour recently, the shoes he wore that he made famous are still solid sellers as retros.

Charles Barkley

Athlete: Charles Barkley
Sport: Basketball
Years Active: 1984-2000

Charles Barkley is a man the needs no introduction. His playing career was spectacular despite never taking home an NBA Championship. Barkley was the face of the Force division at Nike Basketball for a number of years before getting a line of signature shoes starting in 1993 with the Nike Air Force Max CB. His most recognized, and most released, the Nike CB 94 makes frequent appearances on the retro release list year after year. Like with other signature athletes, his line has received technological upgrades with tech that includes Hyperfuse and Vac Tech.

Charles Barkley has experienced a successful post-playing career as a broadcaster for TNT where he and the rest of his team were honored with a limited edition Nike Hyperdunk in 2008.

Read more: The Best Charles Barkley Shoes

Andre Agassi

Athlete: Andre Agassi
Sport: Tennis
Years Active: 1986-2006

Andre Agassi was a rebel. A bad boy. An exception to the sport of tennis. Oh, and he was good too.

Nike aligned with Agassi early in his career and tested the boundaries of what was and wasn’t acceptable to the sport. Head to toe, Nike had Agassi covered with everything from shoes to headbands and everything in between. Agassi and Nike started off with the Air Tech Challenge line followed by annual signature makeups stretching into the new millennium.

After a few years of leaving Nike, Agassi rejoined the Swoosh and a solid retro campaign has followed.

Read more: Andre Agassi’s 10 Best Shoes

Penny Hardaway

Athlete: Penny Hardaway
Sport: Basketball
Years Active: 1993-2007

Penny Hardaway’s run with Nike has eclipsed his accomplishments on the court during his playing career. A victim of frequent injuries in his prime, Penny was never able to achieve the level of greatness so many had predicted. His line of shoes; however, is that of Hall of Fame status. Nike Basketball set out to create the next Michael Jordan and followed a similar formula when it came to Penny. A signature name, a signature logo, and advertising campaigns crossed over into pop culture with cameos and appearances by Tyra Banks and Spike Lee.

Before his playing career was finished, Nike had already started reintroducing Penny’s shoes with the Penny IV being brought back only 2 years after its debut. Other models followed including the Nike Air Foamposite which has become a franchise in and of itself. New models were created for Penny and his alter ego sidekick Lil Penny too.

Today, Penny Hardaway is known by many teenage sneakerheads despite not even being alive when he was in his prime.

Michael Jordan

Athlete: Michael Jordan
Sport: Basketball
Years Active: 1984-2003

From signature athlete to brand to billion-dollar enterprise.

Michael Jordan and Nike forever changed the game with the launch of the Air Jordan signature line in 1985. The line celebrates a milestone anniversary of 30 years in 2015 and is projected to do more than $2B in sales.

Jordan Brand is as relevant in today’s market as it ever was when MJ was on the court with almost weekly lineups for retro releases and strong-selling new signature models.

Today, Jordan is creating its own signature athletes taking things full circle with a roster that includes future Hall of Famers from basketball to baseball. Full circle.