Margins
Sole Provider book cover
Sole Provider
Thirty Years of Nike Basketball
2002
First Published
4.48
Average Rating
244
Number of Pages

Designed with Nike's trademark visually gripping graphics, Sole Provider: Thirty Years of NIKE Basketball is a collection of Nike hoop shoes and the subculture that surrounds them. Text by Slam magazine editor-at-large Robert "Scoop" Jackson, Sole Provider gives the inside story of NIKE Basketball - from its inception in 1972 to its incredible success as the basketball brand with over 60% market share. Featuring anecdotal facts and figures, inside interviews with NBA players, Nike footwear designers, musicians, and other pop-culture notables, Sole Provider showcases the historical context of the game with exclusive images from Nike's archives: posters, print advertisements, commercial stills, behind-the-scenes footage, NBA photos, and never-before-published images. Features spreads that illustrate the development of the most pivotal shoes during this period, as well as interviews with designers and drawings of their prototypes; Features the key shoes and the players associated with them including: The Blazer (George "Iceman" Gervin), The Bruin (Moses Malone), The Air Force I (Michael Ray Richardson), The Air Jordan (Michael Jordan), The Alpha Force (Charles Barkley), and many more. Features never-before-published images - as well as insights - from the Nike archives of iconic NBA players including Moses Malone, Patrick Ewing, Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, and Jason Kidd, among others. Features still from famous advertising campaigns by Wieden & Kennedy featuring Nike alumni including Spike Lee, Bugs Bunny, Steve Martin, Godzilla, and Lil' Penny, among others. Index pages provide an at-a-glance look at all the shoes produced. Features a chronological history of the Nike and NBA partnership over three decades. Features the WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association.)

Avg Rating
4.48
Number of Ratings
44
5 STARS
61%
4 STARS
25%
3 STARS
14%
2 STARS
0%
1 STARS
0%
goodreads

Author

Robert Jackson
Robert Jackson
Author · 45 books
Robert Jackson was born in 1941 in the North Yorkshire village of Melsonby. A former pilot and navigation instructor, his active involvement with aviation lasted many years. Following his retirement from the RAFVR in 1977 as a squadron leader, he became a full-time aviation writer and aerospace correspondent and lectured extensively on strategic issues. He speaks five languages, including Russian, and has written more than forty nonfiction works on military affairs. He is also the author of the popular Yeoman and SAS fiction series.
548 Market St PMB 65688, San Francisco California 94104-5401 USA
© 2025 Paratext Inc. All rights reserved