Introducing the Nike Dunk: A Slam-Dunk Success
The slam dunk, a term coined by former LA Lakers announcer Chick Hearn, is a crowd-pleasing move now showcased in contests like the NBA Slam Dunk Contest held during the annual NBA All-Star Weekend. Nike saw it only fitting to create its own version of a slam dunk running shoe.
In 1985, to cash in on the growing popularity of the Air Force 1 from three years earlier, Nike released the Nike Dunk with a focus on performance. But it was "lifestyle appeal" that gave the Dunk its staying power. Its strong translation to skateboarding culture spawned a Nike SB Dunk iteration that has become synonymous with the original, even decades later.
Nike already had the immensely popular Air Force 1 and Air Jordan 1 in its arsenal. They positioned the Dunk as a way to tie to basketball teams–focused initially on the NCAA–needing a colour-specific model for an entire roster. In August 1985, Nike launched a program that included like-minded colourways for footwear, apparel and bags.
The Nike Dunk Has a Colour for Everyone
The initial 1985 release of the Nike Dunk featured a "Be True to Your School" marketing tagline and launched in colourways representing the brand's key schools, including Arizona, Georgetown, Kentucky, Iowa, Georgia, Syracuse, Michigan, St. John's and UNLV.
The Nike Dunk remained a colour-focused performance basketball model for the next decade, but by the time the shoe saw its first retro in 1998 (in the original colourways), lifestyle designs had taken over. The style went low-top, giving rise to a more casual culture. You could get these kicks in nearly any colour you wanted–from classic white or black to a bold red, blue or green.
With the streetwear and skate cultures embracing the Nike Dunk, collaborations took shape in the most popular colourway releases. Notable collaborations include:
- Only 36 pairs of the University of Iowa Goldenrod colourways were created, adorned with "Wu W" to signify hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan's ties to the colour. With the widespread following of the Dunk in Japan, Nike released Japan-specific colourways that are now tough to find.
- A low-top collab between Nike Dunk and Virgil Abloh's Off-White brand was a big success.
- The iconic all-white Nike Dunk served as a blank canvas for 25 Japanese artists to reinterpret the shoe using their creative vision.
- London fashion label Cassette Playa teamed up with Nike for several collabs, including one featuring the Nike Dunk.
- Supreme, a skateboarding and apparel brand, partnered with Nike to create a Premium SB Dunk low-top in an iconic elephant print.
- Dover Street Market collaborated with Nike on two monochromatic black-and-white colourways for the Nike Dunk Lux High.
Nike Dunk Design: A Mashup of Popular Models
Colour was a predominant factor in getting the Nike Dunk recognition–lots of bold colour. Designed as a team-centric model intended to sell to entire locker rooms (and Nike hoped, the fans that followed these teams), shoe designer Peter Moore sketched the first concept of the Dunk, initially dubbed the College Colour High.
This design incorporated the best features from a variety of models to create a high-top court shoe. The durable rubber outsole was inspired by the Air Jordan 1–the leather upper was a cross between the AJ 1 and the Nike Terminator. The Nike Dunk borrowed from these other successful silhouettes but had its own distinct personality.
Nike Dunk Collectability and Value
The Nike Dunk and Nike SB Dunk offer different avenues for collectors. Some of the more sought-after–and expensive–models include:
Off-White x Nike Dunk Low (2019)
Sole Collector x Nike Dunk Low Cowboy (2005)
Nike Dunk High Unlucky (2004)
Dover Street Market (2015), Doernbecher (2013) and Undefeated (2016)
School-specific colourways
City Series London (2004)
Supreme Elephant Print Pack (2012)
Cultural Impact of the Nike Dunk
By the mid-1980s, Nike saw the crossover between the basketball court and the street. The Nike Dunk was well-positioned to fill those shoes, assisted by a marketing campaign hyping the Dunk as a collectable shoe needed by players and fans alike. The focus on colour gave the Nike Dunk a spotlight, but the introduction of bold colour blocking opened up a new canvas of colourways and collaborations.
Skateboarding culture's influence can't be ignored–the Nike SB line launched in 2002, with the modified Nike SB Dunk as its flagship model. And the Dunk's introduction of bold colour into 1980s basketball and its cultural mix of sports and lifestyle have proven the Nike Dunk to be a lasting legacy in running shoe culture.
