This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Evolution revolution.
Welcome to a special anniversary edition of Nice Kicks’ Throwback Thursday. Today marks the 10th anniversary of the launch of the Nike Hyperdunk, a basketball silhouette which completely transformed, revolutionized, and redefined Nike basketball footwear.
The iconic ’90s era came and went, followed by a new generation of avant-garde basketball sneakers in an era where lighter was better. Basketball shoes in the early 2000s were built not on maximum air but rather on the tenants of mobility and stability, incorporating lightweight materials and low-profile Zoom Air and Lunar Foam cushioning in order to accommodate the ever-changing game of basketball and athletes whose games relied on increased mobility, speed, versatility, and quickness. Designed by Eric Avar, the Hyperdunk featured Flywire technology – a concept conceived by Jay Meschter in Nike’s Innovation Kitchen originally designed to be used in track spikes for running. Inspired by suspension bridges, Flywire was composed of strong nylon filaments which offered excellent support while at the same time reduced weight and shifted support and material where maximum support and reinforcement was needed.
In 2008, the Hyperdunk took the NBA and world stage by storm, worn on feet by a plethora of NBA players including, most notably, Kobe Bryant, who wore myriad of custom PE pairs in Lakers colorways. The Hyperdunk took center stage during the Beijing Olympics as it served as the sneaker of choice by Kobe and several of his teammates including Chris Bosh, Tayshaun Prince, Carlos Boozer, Michael Redd, Jason Kidd, and Deron Williams en route to their gold medal performance. While the everlasting image of Kobe getting fouled and hitting the clutch 3-pointer in the Gold Medal game against Spain will remain a timeless, everlasting moment, so too, are the images of USA’s men’s basketball team reaching the world basketball summit and winning gold once again.
Over time, many more iterations of the Hyperdunk have been released, each with much success. However, nothing quite compares to the original. Eric Avar once said, “We were looking to do it in an expressive way — let’s reduce everything else around it and let the Nike Flywire come to life.” A decade later, the Hyperdunk maintains its allure and relevancy, a major player within the discussion of modern era of Nike basketball footwear.
The Nike Hyperdunk: the definition of the hoops shoe, redefined.
