GOTTA BE THE SHOES: Milestones in sneaker history

Detroit Free Press

1917: A star is born -- World's first performance basketball shoe, a canvas Converse All Star, is made by the Converse Rubber Shoe Company of Malden, Mass.

1923: Taylor made -- Converse adds name of Akron Firestones basketball player Chuck Taylor to its shoes. Taylor travels the country teaching clinics and selling shoes.

1970: Cool cat -- Walt (Clyde) Frazier helps lead the Knicks to the NBA title. He looks smooth on and off the court in his low-cut Puma suede shoes.

1974: High flying -- Julius Erving (Dr. J) signs with Converse, wearing their new line of Pro Leather shoes.

1984: Magic time -- Magic Johnson and Larry Bird tape a commercial for Converse shoes. Magic and Bird battle on-court. Converse shoes stay on top.

1985: Fine me, please -- The NBA fines Michael Jordan as much as $5,000 a game for wearing a pair of red and black shoes, the first Air Jordans. Jordan and Nike don't mind the attention or fines.

1986: Rapped -- Run-DMC and their "My Adidas" rap make "the brand with three stripes" and a shell toe a hip-hop hit. Sneakers become a bona fide fashion statement.

1988: Spiked -- "It's gotta be the shoes," says Spike Lee, playing fast-talking Mars Blackmon in a series of ads for Nike's Jordan basketball shoes. The ads become classics.

1991: Pumped -- Boston Celtics guard Dee Brown wins the NBA's Slam Dunk contest. More importantly, he does it with marketing flair, literally pumping up a new line of Reebok shoes that have an internal bladder for a tighter fit.

2003: Still hopping -- Jordan retires (for good) but his line of sneaks lives on. Vintage Jordans fetch top dollar through online auction sites.

2003: Air apparent -- LeBron James signs a $90 million shoe contract with Nike. Not bad for a high school senior.

2003: Rapped, Part II -- Rappers Jay-Z and 50 Cent become the leading pitchmen for Rbk, a line of Reebok shoes, with their S. Carter and G Unit collections.

2005: Detroit customs -- Free Press readers design their own shoes. Three winners each get $150 to buy sneakers. OK, it's not a $90 million deal but it's still a nice prize.

Sources: NBA.com, ESPN.com, CNNSi.com, MTV.com, USA Today, eBay; Converse, Nike and Reebok corporate Web sites.