On this episode of the SoleSavy Podcast, Marco Henry Negrete is joined by Russ Bengtson, author of the upcoming book A History of Basketball in Fifteen Sneakers.
The duo discusses what inspired Russ to write the book, including some of the best parts of writing the book. They also discuss how Russ narrowed down the list of 15, what player deserved a signature sneaker but didn’t, and much more. A History Of Basketball In Fifteen Sneakers releases on October 10, 2023, from Workman Publishing. You can purchase the book here. SoleSavy Premium Members: Check Slack for a member discount.
Timestamps
2:07 Stories from the past
6:42 What inspired you to write this book?
12:00 Can Converse even lean on the chuck anymore?
15:07 Did you find a lot of current innovation is just history repeating itself?
18:38 What were the hard decisions you had to make to make a list of the top 15?
25:16 With all the new brands competing in the space, do you think that will change who gets signature shoes?
27:47 Any shoes that you thought would be a hit but fell flat?
33:02 Is there a player that deserved a signature sneaker but didn’t?
41:47 What shoes blew you away when you first saw them?
55:57 What were some of the best parts about writing the book?