Gary Payton & The Nike Zoom GP III

Gary Payton & The Nike Zoom GP III

The Nike Zoom GP III took a big shot when it came to tech and design. It was a major swing for Nike and GP. Learn more about a shoe that was maybe ahead of its time, the Nike Zoom GP III.

GP III

The basic idea of the shoe’s design was a shoe within a shoe. It takes everything from the previous two models of the GP and pushes it into the future.

A removeable outer shell was wrapped around an inner sneaker. There was customizable support with that addition, and the shoe featured synthetic and textile materials. There was a zipper and Velcro closure system.

The shoe put a priority on comfort, the inner shoe is what supplied this. The GP III was pushing sneakers forward and may have suffered from fans not being quite ready for that in 2001.

Supersonic

The Seattle Supersonics, which is now a defunct franchise, picked Payton with the second overall pick. He quickly made an impact on the Supersonics franchise and team with Shawn Kemp to create one of the best all-time duos. Shawn Kemp was a highflyer whose dunks consistently made the highlight reels. Payton was usually the one lobbing the ball to Kemp for one of his breathtaking jams.

The Sonics peaked with Payton and Kemp when they met the Chicago Bulls in the 1996 NBA Finals. The young Sonics were a worthy opponent, but in the end, Michael Jordan was able to lead Chicago to victory. The Bulls won 72 games in the 1995-1996 season. Winning the series against Seattle cemented them as one of the best ever.

NBA Champion

The Glove eventually left the Sonics after a successful run. Unfortunately, he never won the NBA Championship for Seattle. GP got his first and only NBA Title with the Miami Heat in 2006. He also played for the basketball teams the Milwaukee Bucks, Los Ange-les Lakers, and Boston Celtics in his career.

Legacy

Payton is a one of a kind baller. Known as one of the toughest guards to ever play, he is one of the few point guards to ever win DPOY. His trash talk and big personality on the court got him a lot of attention.

But Payton is a legit all-time great. He is a multiple time all-star, Olympic Gold Medalist and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 201