Adidas Reintroduces Classic Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Signature Sneakers

Before the world went crazy for Chicago Bulls legend Micheal Jordan’s Nike Air Jordans, there was a sneaker that basketball fans flocked to over 50 years ago. adidas is reintroducing a classic sneaker that marked the very first basketball shoe to feature a professional basketball player as the draw.

The sneaker company is relaunching the iconic Jabbar–OG Royal Blue, the first signature sneaker worn by NBA Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The retro sneaker is being released by adidas to inspire “a new generation with the story of a true Original.”

⛹️‍♂️ adidas celebrates the legacy Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with a 1-to-1 recreation of his 1978 original adidas Jabbar in both Low and Hi versions, releasing Friday, October 18. pic.twitter.com/OfkiTqPLEo

— adidas alerts (@adidasalerts) October 15, 2024

The original version of the Jabbar–OG Royal Blue was initially launched in 1978 and it made sneaker history by becoming the first basketball sneaker to feature an athlete’s face. The shoe will be available in both Hi and Lo styles and will retail for $110 for the Hi version and Lo will be priced at $100. Fans and sneakerheads can purchase the sneakers on adidas.com, and at select adidas stores and retailers on Oct. 18.

Six years after the release of the signature shoe, Abdul-Jabbar retired in 1984. When he did so, he was the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. After LeBron James broke his record in February, Abdul-Jabbar took to his substack to discuss LeBron’s achievement and wrote, in part, “In the months leading up to LeBron breaking my record, so much was written about how I would feel on the day he sank that record-breaking shot that I had to laugh,” he stated. “I’d already written several times stating exactly how I felt, so there really wasn’t much to speculate about. It’s as if I won a billion dollars in a lottery, and 39 years later, someone won two billion dollars. How would I feel? Grateful that I won and happy that the next person also won. His winning in no way affects my winning.”