The classic Nike BB4 Shox sneakers first debuted in 2000 and quickly became a wildly popular basketball sneaker thanks to the marketing campaign featuring Vince Carter, who initially rocked the Nike Shox BB4 on the court during summer play in Sydney. This includes the time he jumped over France's 7'2 big man Frederic Weiss, making for one of the most iconic moments in sports history.
"The success of the dunk started the legend of the shoes. But I myself went to another level with them, too. I became a star player in the BB4," Carter says, via Nike.
“Getting the opportunity to debut a new technology was a no-brainer to me. It made sense with how I played,” says Carter.
Now, 18 years after the Nike Shox BB4 debuted, Nike has announced that Vince Carter will be wearing the iconic kicks for the remainder of the NBA season.
According to Nike, the Nike Shox BB4’s look was informed by its space age concept. A rocket and booster-like appearance was prepped for blastoff and served to amplify the explosive potential of the columns. The upper was designed for intergalactic exploration, too, as designer Eric Avar and the others at mission control researched astronaut apparel.
“The upper was inspired from some space suits at the time. We kept it simple and understated, but modern with a slight iridescence and reflectivity,” Avar says.
Nike has not yet announced if the Shox BB4 will be returning to retailers, but it would be a huge miss not to take advantage of this beloved sneaker's resurgence.
