10 Sneakers with Amazing Backstories

Sneaker history, like any great source of history, happens to produce riveting narratives. Kicks aren't only worn on the court. They are personally built, crafted and designed for individuals.

Because of that, amazing backstories go hand in hand with these shoes. Michael Jordan's line of kicks stands out as the poster child of compelling narratives, but there are so many other options out there.

Looking back at some of sneaker's finest moments, here are 10 pieces of footwear that boast incredible backstories.

Air Jordan XII 'Flu Game'

Dick Raphael/Getty Images

The Air Jordan XII "Flu Game" has birthed a legacy that in many ways defines the career of the man who wore the shoes, Michael Jordan.

I wrote about the meaning behind the "Flu Game" XIIs, and how the shoe has become a staple of not only Jordan Brand but the sneaker community as a whole. 

Jordan going out and conquering the Utah Jazz admits a tough NBA Finals is tough enough. Add in flu-like symptoms and you have a game for the ages.

Jordan demolished the Jazz in these kicks, dropping 38 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals. His withered body couldn't stop his will, and the sneakers he wore that night were immediately slammed into the history books.

Nike Air Max Zero

Image via Nike

Revolutionary design always begins with a basic idea. The Nike Air Max Zero was a concept sneaker that would set the stage for one of the industry's biggest lines to come.

Tinker Hatfield sketched the Air Max Zero before the original Air Max 1 was even considered for production. It was a prelude to greatness, despite being scraped nearly 30 years ago. We never thought it would see the light of day.

Finally, in 2015, thick clods of smoke emerged from Nike's vault, and the Air Max Zero was brought to life.

The shoe was beautiful. It was a performance sneaker. It was a runner. It was a work of art.

To see what inspired the Air Max line in a concrete form is artistic expression at its very definition. Think about this: Without the Air Max Zero, there might not have been an extensive list of Air Max models. How could we live in a world with the Air Max 95?

Air Jordan IX

Image via Jordan Brand

The Air Jordan IX remains an important footnote for Jordan Brand. It was the first sneaker Nike designed after MJ stopped playing pro hoops.

Back in 1993, Jordan left the Chicago Bulls in order to pursue a baseball career. Continuing with his signature line, designer Tinker Hatfield created the Air Jordan IX. This shoe was never worn during its original run by Jordan himself on the hardwood.

But as Sole Collector notes, there were player-exclusive models displayed during the NBA that faithful season by guys like Mitch Richmond and Penny Hardaway.

A great backstory doesn't always have to relate to on-court matters. In the case of the Air Jordan IX, the fact MJ never wore the signature offering was significant enough to earn a spot on this list.

Adidas Kobe 2

Not all sneakers with Kindle-esque backstories turn out to be home runs with consumers. Take Adidas' Kobe 2 into consideration.

The year was 2002 and Bryant—wearing No. 8 at the time—was part of the Adidas hoop machine. He had gone from sporting a pair of Crazy 8s to engaging with more of a futuristic shoe in the Kobe 1.

When the sequel hit retailers, it took many consumers back, as well as Bryant himself. Jake Woolf of GQ talked about how the fact Bryant left Adidas after this shoe came to fruition: "But in 2001 it was rumored that even he thought they were ugly and horrible, which caused him to switch back to the slightly better Kobe One during the NBA Finals that year."

The story of the Kobe 2 lives on as a game-changer for Bryant's sneaker career. It helped push Bryant to Nike in 2003, and cost Team Swoosh $8 million to attain his services.

Nike Air Foamposite

Image courtesy of Nike

Nike has been a company blessed with creative sneaker engineers. Eric Avar remains one of the best.

Avar has been a part of historic work, especially when it comes to his connection with Kobe Bryant. Before his Black Mamba days, Avar constructed a shoe that changed the way people looked at sneakers. That shoe was the Nike Air Foamposite.

Nothing out there at the time resembled the Foamposite. Its future-leaning feel and one-pieced molded upper were signs of a generation to come.

Besides the design elements, Mike Bibby first wore the on-court version when he played college ball at Arizona. It was significant to say the least seeing a collegiate player equipped with such an important shoe.

On the NBA frontier, Penny Hardaway became the man with the Air Foamposite plan when he was kicking around with the Orlando Magic.

Together, along with its cerebral design, these elements provided all of the ingredients necessary for the Foamposite to become a Nike staple.

Nike Kobe 11

Image via Nike

Kobe Bryant's decision to leave the sport of basketball put the Los Angeles Lakers icon in the national news this past season.

The Black Mamba's farewell tour and the sneakers that went along with it turned out to be a big part of his final season. Throughout Bryant's departing voyage, the longtime guard would gift other NBA players a pair of his sneakers. The sneaker he gave away was the beautifully engineered Kobe 11.

The shoe was a designer's dream. Weaved together with thermoplastic polyurethane threads, the Kobe 11 turned out to be another notch in Bryant's forward-thinking line.

Bleacher Report's Chris Palmer wrote at length about Bryant's sneaker legacy and his willingness to give away signed pairs after each game. "LeBron James, Paul George and Draymond Green beamed when Bryant gifted signed sneakers this season and then rushed to post the pictures on social media extolling Bryant's impact on their careers and rarefied place in history," Palmer penned.

The Kobe 11's backstory isn't simply about footwear brilliance. It's about a career, and the act of giving back. No one will forget No. 24 and the shoes he wore.

Air Jordan I 'Banned'

The NBA didn't like the fact Michael Jordan was wearing a black-and-red sneaker. So what did they do? They banned the shoe and turned the Air Jordan I into the holy grail of athletic footwear.

Designed by Peter Moore, the Air Jordan I remains a constant in an always-changing world of kicks. Its timeless colorway and style—especially the "Banned" version—reminds you sneakers can often define culture.

There have been 31 Air Jordan models to hit retailers since the first shoe came out in 1985. None of those possesses the same allure as the "Banned" Jordan I. It really is a remarkable piece of footwear with an even cooler backstory.

Nike LeBron Soldier 10

Image courtesy of Nike

LeBron James completed his return mission with the Cleveland Cavaliers by winning the 2015-16 NBA title.

King James won the title with a compelling performance and also with style. Sporting the Nike LeBron Soldier 10, James breathed new meaning into these kicks by winning a championship in them.

For those who are unfamiliar, James' Soldier line has now extended 10 years. It's sort of morphed into his second signature offering. While we've gotten to see countless version of LeBron-labeled shoes, we also have endured countless variations of the Nike Soldier family.

The Soldier 10 has a special meaning. First off, it's the shoe James wore when he raised the Larry O'Brien Trophy for the first time in a Cavaliers uniform. For that alone, it should be thoroughly discussed in Cleveland's museums and schools for the next 100 years.

It's also a sneaker that can be deemed aesthetically profound. Powerful straps around the ankles and the lack of visual laces were a divine touch.

A backstory weaved with ambition and culminating with an NBA title creates a sense of perfection. In the case of the LeBron Soldier 10, it has both of those endearing qualities.

Air Jordan XI 'Space Jam'

We've already spoken at length about Nike's Air Jordan line. The "Banned" Air Jordan I and "Flu Game" XII are two symbolic sneakers in their own respective ways.

Wedged between those two kicks is the Air Jordan XI "Space Jam."

Jordan Brand's XI is a silhouette that has continued to ooze popularity—the company still releases a brand-new or retro version every December. The "Space Jam" XI encountered the best story of all the XI colorways.

Debuting in the Warner Bros. flick Space Jam, Jordan showed off this sneaker to popcorn-stuffing kids across the globe, as Sole Collector's Brandon Richard noted. Jordan would also unleash the sneaker in the 1995 NBA postseason against the Orlando Magic—before it hit retailers—successfully taking the sneaker from a movie prop to a real-life piece of footwear.

It remains a shoe Jordan enthusiasts and sneakerheads pine over. And with news dancing around about another retro version releasing this December, per Sole Collector, its legacy is bound to live on.

Nike Kobe 1

Kobe Bryant's first sneaker with Nike set the tone for a historic line of innovation. The Nike Kobe 1 first came out in 2005 after a handful of issues delayed Bryant's first Nike offering, per Sports Illustrated.

The amazing backstory here is twofold. It boils down to Bryant officially forging past his days with Adidas and the fact he dropped 81 points in this model against the Toronto Raptors.

A scintillating sneaker like the Kobe 1 makes you really appreciate how far his line has come. While Jordan Brand might surpass Bryant in a retro sense, the performance and proactive thinking behind Bryant's shoes have always provided an effective backstory.

Without the Kobe 1, the entire outlook of the athletic footwear industry would have been far worse for wear.

All production information via Nike News, unless noted otherwise.