First basketball shoe

The first mass-produced basketball shoe was the “Non-Skid” by Converse (USA) – an early version of the “All Star” high-top sneaker – which first appeared in 1917. It featured a canvas upper with a rubber sole, a cushioned insole and supports for the arch and heel. To increase grip, the sole featured a diamond-tread pattern. After design input from Converse salesman and basketball player-manager Chuck Taylor, the shoe was rebranded as the “Chuck Taylor All Star” from 1934, its distinctive patch featuring Taylor’s signature.

In c. 1892, the Colchester Rubber Company (USA) had produced a basketball high-top shoe, although it seems to have existed essentially as a prototype. It was designed by Irving Watkinson with a hemp fabric upper and a solid rubber sole, and was likely based on the company’s popular “Bals” athletic sneaker. The shoe was made specifically for James Naismith, who had invented the game of basketball in 1891 while teaching at the International YMCA Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, just 80 km (50 miles) from the Colchester Rubber Company’s factory in Connecticut. The company closed in 1893 – bought up by US Rubber, which wished to establish a monopoly in the industry – so these shoes were apparently never made widely available for sale to the public.