The Air Max Uptempo is one of the greatest basketball sneakers of all time. The shoe has decades of history to go back to. Learn more about the Nike Air Max Uptempo below.
Uptempo
The Nike Air Max Uptempo debuted in 1995. The basketball silhouette is a legend in the basketball world. This was the first Nike shoe with full-length visible Air from heel to toe.
At the time, it was the most Nike Air cushioning ever put into a sole. The shoe was incredibly popular upon release thanks to its cool design and revolutionary tech. Basketball legends like Scottie Pippen, Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett wore the Air Max Uptempo 1995 on the court.
Blue Ribbon Sports
Nike started as Blue Ribbon Sports in 1964. The company was headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon.
Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight founded Blue Ribbon Sports. In 1966, the first Blue Ribbon Sports store opened in California. The storefront was an instant success, and a name change was needed.
Nike
In 1971, Nike would become the new name of the company. The winged Greek goddess of victory inspired the name.
The iconic Swoosh was also created in 1971. A graphic design student created the world famous logo. The logo was crafted to convey speed, and the goddess Nike was its inspiration.
The first shoes to feature the Swoosh were the Cleat and Waffle Racer. They were unveiled at the U.S. Track and Field Olympic Trials. The event took place in Eugene, Oregon.
Niketown
The first Nike factory location opened in 1984 in Portland, Oregon. This led to the first Niketown opening in 1990, which was also located in Portland.
Niketown was able to broaden the storytelling ability of the brand. Consumers could interact with the products in the store, learn more about them, and the athletes that endorsed them.
More Niketown locations would quickly follow. Locations that would be placed all over the world. This would strengthen Nike’s status as a global retailer.
Nike.com
In 1996, it launched nike.com. The site focused on storytelling initially. It gave site visitors the chance to learn more about Nike’s large list of athletes.
The website got bigger and more unique in 1998 when NikeiD launched. The ability for the consumers to customize their own shoes was trailblazing at the time. In 1999, the site was fully transitioned from an editorial hub to an e-commerce platform.
Shoe Palace
You can find Nike products at Shoe Palace stores and on shoepalace.com.
- Adam C. Better
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