American sports and leisure wear juggernauts Nike introduced the Nike Dunk at the inception of the 1985/86 college basketball season. The release received a glowing reception from athletes and fans alike, becoming more successful than those at Nike had anticipated. The Dunk silhouette proved a big hit outside of the basketball court too, attracting admirers from the world of art, fashion, music and pop-culture. The late 90’s would see Nike attempt to venture into the world of skateboarding, but they would initially find it difficult to create sneakers which skateboarders and skateboarding enthusiasts felt attracted to. Ironically, the Nike Dunk had grown to become a firm favorite for skateboarders. They were affordable, easy on the eye and most importantly, proved highly functional for the act of skateboarding.
This inspired Nike to recreate the Dunk in the early 2000s, resulting in the construction of what we now know as the Nike SB Dunk. It combined an excessively padded tongue with the core characteristics of what made the Nike SB a firm fan favorite. The creation of the SB Dunk coincided with the formation of Nike’s first pro skating team, made up of Reese Forbes, Richard Mulder, Gino Lanucci, and Danny Supa (who later teamed up with Nike to create the Dunk Low Pro SB “Supa”).
The new and improved Nike Dunk was here to stay, making a permanent transfer from the basketball courts to skateparks around the world.
