22. Steve Nash
photo by Noah Graham for NBAE/Getty Images via All BallWhat David Robinson was to bulky high tops is more or less what Steve Nash is to lows. Yes, Kobe Bryant gets credit for the mainstream movement, but Nash’s impact based on the models he propelled is an example of the strong undercurrent that runs in basketball shoe culture.
Epitomized by the Nike Air Jet Flight, Nash has endorsed a number of low top signatures from Nike Basketball that might not cause campouts, but rather inspire endless hours of eBay searches and frenzied forum fandom. His sneaker career has been somewhat of parabola, beginning by rocking low top takedowns of the Garnett 3, peaking with signature shoes such as the Zoom MVP, and coming back down in the latest Kobes. While stunters side with the flashy Foamposite fanbodys of today, the Day 1 Ekins and students of Professor K know Steve Nash has been putting on for the performance purists since the start.
-Ian Stonebrook
