Sports

Spizike Jordan Basketball Shoes

It has to be the shoes! Do those famous words mean anything to you? They should. The infamous Mars Blackmon uttered this phrase many times when referring to the monumental achievements that Michael Jordan was able to achieve with his epic shoes. Mars Blackmon, also known as Spike Lee, partnered with Nike and Michael in the late 1980s to promote the Air Jordans. Although the commercials were quite entertaining, Air Jordans marketing at the time was not really necessary. The popularity of the Jordan shoe line was already at an all-time high.

Fast forward to 2007. Michael and his shoes are joined by Spike Lee once again. This time it is to create an Air Jordan Hybrid. From this reunion, the Jordan Spizike shoe was created. As is the case with the Jordan Hybrids, there were as many enemies as there were lovers of this new shoe. Most members of the sneaker community thought this shoe was going to be a flop. Initially nicknamed “Retro Frankenstein”, the Spizike was touted by Spike Lee himself, who announced that it would only be available along I-95. Originally the shoe was only going to be released in 2 color combinations. Despite backlash from the traditional Jordan Retro sneaker community, the level of popularity the sneaker reached caused the Jordan brand to drop another 5 colors. Apparently there was a large group of Jordanheads who really liked hybrids.

Like a Jordan Hybrid, the Spizike is made up of several different Jordan Retros. Different design elements from the Air Jordan 3, 4, 5, 6, 9 and 20 are used in the composition of the shoe.

Here’s how it breaks down:

Jordan 3-The elephant print, midsole and sole are used.

Jordan 4-The Air Jordan “wings” logo is used.

Jordan 5: The main silhouette of this shoe is used.

Jordan 6-The tongue of the shoe and the lace-lock system are used.

Jordan 9-Back tab was used.

Jordan 20-Laser print graphics on the inner lining.

Some pretty sick versions of Jordan Spizike are going to be released this upcoming holiday season. An orange and blue colourway, representative of Spike Lee’s New York Knicks, will be released in December. If you recall, Spike was seen wearing both sides of the court in color combinations during last season’s NBA playoffs. And now you can have the same Spizike model and color scheme that Lee wore at Madison Square Garden last year.

With an additional Spizike colourway released alongside the Spike Lee PE editions, it looks like this shoe is going to be in the spotlight once again. Some, as usual, will hate it. Others will be delighted. There seems to be no middle ground for hybrids. They are the Jekyll and Hyde of Jordan basketball shoes.

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