Aaron Hope 
With so many colorways taking inspiration from an ever growing range of themes these days, the times when shoes were simply colored to match team colors are a distant memory. One way of combining these styles, of merging past and present, is to drop a new colorway on an established model that references a different point in the connected athlete’s career. It’s a trend you may have noticed developing over the past year or so here on Sneaker News, and one we’re going to examine here today.
Nike Sportswear in particular has mastered this among their design conventions for retro releases. Reebok Classics has also recently begun to take advantage of the unique time travel that happens when you pair someone’s first signature the team they played a different part of their pro career. These resume iterations have really only just begun, so let’s look back at some of the best as we get ready for a couple drops this week.
NIKE ZOOM FLIGHT THE GLOVE “MIAMI HEAT”
This Thursday, Nike Sportswear takes us back to the first NBA title for the Miami Heat in 2006. With team colors from Gary Payton’s long-pursued championship on the shoe that embodies his game better than just about any other signature shoe out there.
AIR JORDAN 12 “FRENCH BLUE”
It’s not shocking that an Air Jordan Retro leads the way in this category. Years before even Nike began using the idea of anachronistic shoe-team pairings, Jordan Brand nuzzled up to the idea with a Wizards-leaning ‘French Blue’ Air Jordan XII.
NIKE AIR MAX PENNY “KNICKS”
Another shoe-and-team combo connected to Penny is this pair that might never make it into your collection. They were rumored to be coming up for a release last spring but that of course never materialized. Guys like Spike Lee, DJ Clark Kent and Wale are the only ones we’ve seen so far wearing the ‘Knicks’ Air Foamposite Ones.
NIKE ZOOM FLIGHT 95 “CAREER PACK”
Jason Kidd’s first signature shoe was made to match each of his teams when the current Nets coach and future hall of famer started what would be his farewell season.
NIKE AIR FOAMPOSITE ONE “PHOENIX SUNS”
A metallic answer to the satiny ‘Eggplant’, a Nike Air Foamposite One dropped this past March in an orange-accented tribute to Penny Hardaway’s four and a half seasons with the Phoenix Suns.
AIR JORDAN 9 “BIRMINGHAM BARONS”
When Michael first retired in 1993, he chose to trade in his basketball shoes for baseball cleats. In 2014, Jordan Brand will re-tell the story of the Birmingham Barons in Retro form (they did once before with the Air Jordan 1 Mid).
NIKE AIR DIAMOND TURF “RAVENS”
Deion Sanders’ Diamond Turfs are best known for its 49ers colorway, but Nike re-released them in two great Ravens colorways as a tribute to the man’s last years in the NFL.
SNS x REEBOK SHAQNOSIS “TRIBUTE”
The Reebok Shaqnosis had several examples of this concept grace its concentric arches in 2013. There was a Miami Heat colorway that showed up in a few different versions before releasing and the Escape From Miami edition that mixed in Lakers colors. But the ‘Tribute’ by Sneakersnstuff was perhaps the single greatest example of this theme to date, because it combined Shaq’s entire six team career into one colorway.
NIKE AIR PENNY II “MIAMI HEAT”
Penny’s last minutes in an NBA uniform came in Miami Heat colors. On an unrelated note, it was LeBron James who was spotted in these Miami Heat-colored Penny 2s just days before the Decision went live.
NIKE AIR GRIFFEY MAX 1 “CINCINNATI”
Griffey departed Seattle and settled in his hometown of Cincinnati. Years later, Nike whipped up this clean colorway of the Air Griffey Max 1 in perfect colorblocking – one that had plenty of respect from OG-only hunters.
ADIDAS MUTOMBO “SIXERS”
The legendary finger-wagger might’ve had his most postseason success with the Sixers, reaching the NBA Finals with Allen Iverson. In 2013, adidas released a limited number of the Mutombo in a near-Sixers colorway.
