During the 1997 NCAA men's basketball tournament, the Arizona Wildcats won their first-ever March Madness title in their first-ever championship game appearance. The Wildcats also became the first school since the 64-team tournament bracket was introduced in 1995 to beat three No.1 seeds on their way to the title.
Just as big as the Wildcats winning the title was perhaps Arizona point guard Mike Bibby debuting the Nike Foamposite shoe, which later became one of the brand's most iconic sneakers ever.
In his recent interview with Complex , Bib told the story of how he ended up becoming the first player to wear the Foams on the basketball court.
"Eric Lautenbach came to the tournament before the tournament started," recalled Bibby. "He was with Nike for a long time and just said, 'Hey, I got a pair of shoes for all you guys.' And he made it known, 'It isn't your guys' team color, so some of you guys might not want to wear them, and they're not out yet.' And once he said, 'They're not out yet,' that was a go for me. I said, 'I don't care what color they are, they could be green all I care. If they're not out yet, I'm wearing them.'
It was Penny's next shoe
Bibby ended up wearing the Foams throughout the Wildcats championship run. Later, it was revealed that the shoe was originally intended for Chicago Bulls star forward Scottie Pippen but ended up in Penny Hardaway 's shoe line.
According to the story , Hardaway met with Nike shoe designer Eric Avar. At that time, Avar brought along a bag full of prototype shoes. When Penny opened the bag, he was immediately drawn to the Foam's non-traditional look and asked Nike to make it his next shoe. They agreed, but Bibby wore them first, and the 6'7'' point guard wasn't happy.
"I mean, I know from back then," added Mike. "I heard he was very mad that he didn't get a chance to wear them first."
Related: “He wants to come to the cookout but we’re not inviting him no more” - Charles Oakley on his disdain for Charles Barkley
Bibby became one of the first members of Team Jordan
Later that year, the Foamposite officially became Penny's shoe when it was released to the market. Meanwhile, Mike became one of the first members of Team Jordan after he was drafted into the NBA. Long after his retirement, Bibby is still with the Jordan Brand, and recently, he talked about how the company continues to take good care of him .
"I'm grateful to be part of that because, you know, a lot of these shoe companies don't take care of their OGs and stuff to help them bring up the brand," Bibby said. "I know he doesn't need nobody to help him sell this, but it's just good to be part of something so big and so special."
Bib is one of the longest-tenured Nike or Jordan Brand endorsers without a signature shoe. But while no shoe bears his name, Mike owned some of the rarest Jordan PEs. He was also the first player to rock the original Foamposite.
Related: Mike Bibby recalls when Metta Sandiford-Artest got to a game in a Formula One car: "He had a helmet on, his wife was sitting behind him"
Most Popular
Comments / 0