The Dunk was first introduced by Nike Inc. in 1985. As the Nike Terminator’s "fraternal twin", originally having numerous colors in most sizes (Hi-Top or Low-Top) for various Universities and Colleges. Since its reintroduction in 1998, the Dunk has transformed from a basic basketball shoe into a subcultural icon and an inspiration for fashion, culture, and art.
Designed for Basketball
The Nike Dunk has a lower profile outer sole than its parent shoes. The intent was a lighter weight and staying closer to the ground. In addition, the paneling was revised to improve basketball game performance during pivoting and blocking. The Dunk was used to spearhead what Nike called the ’College Colors’ program. They signed some college basketball teams (and their coaches) to an exclusive Dunk sponsorship deal; in simple terms, the deal meant that each colored pair of Dunks matched their uniforms.
The following universities were elected by Nike to be part of the College Colors program:
- University of Maryland, College Park
- St. John's University
- Syracuse University
- Villanova University
- University of Iowa
- University of Kentucky
- University of Michigan
- University of Nevada, Las Vegas
The Return of the Dunk
In 1998, Nike began production of the Dunk once again. Initial releases were classic university colors, but new non-team colors were soon introduced. At this time, Nike often released the same dunk in two different versions consisting of reversed colors. The dunks released from 1998 to 2000 featured a nylon tongue and arch supports, distinguishing them from today's dunk releases. Overall, the reintroduction of the dunk proved to be extremely successful and production numbers have since increased to meet growing demand.
Rooting into Skate Culture
Nike's basketball shoe line was fairly popular in the skateboarding scene, and the Dunk soon became a popular shoe for skaters due to the stability and lower profile sole which improved grounding performance. After some time, Nike created a Dunk specifically for skateboarders, known as the Nike SB Dunk. It features an extra-padded "puffy tongue" (common among skateboarding sneakers) and Nike's patented Zoom Air insole. Since then, the SB Dunk has become a popular icon for enthusiastic sneaker-collectors, and has hit the streetwear fashion scene. Nike currently collaborates with many designers to create special edition and collectible Dunks.
Prices Rise with Internet Popularity
The SB Dunk is sold to stores for fairly low prices, with recommended retail prices anywhere between $65.00-$99.00. However, since they are popular among collectors and skateboarders alike, stores tend to raise the prices on the shoes based on the demand for them. This often happens when a shoe is talked a lot about on the internet. Some of the rarer shoes sell for over a thousand dollars a pair. (A Nike SB pair of sneakers named "What the Dunk?" usually fetches around $1300-1800 on Ebay.) During many initial releases of limited Dunks, long lines have formed at retailers. At the release of the Nike SB "pigeons" a small riot broke out in the streets of New York when only 20 were released to a crowd of over 100 )