adidas Basket Profi Low

• MODEL: ADIDAS BASKET PROFI LOW
• TYPE: BASKETBALL
• MADE IN: INDONESIA
• MADE ON: 05/12
• ART.NO: Q23020
• FACTORY: PCI/789002

The adidas Basket Profi wouldn’t be considered a very recognizable shoe. It probably gets misidentified as a Nizza or a Campus on a daily basis. But it has a history behind it as one of the first nubuck shoes to be worn for professional league basketball.

This shoe has been around since before Nike even had a shoe on the court. It was released alongside the Superstar in 1969 in its high-top model. Even though it has somehow been lost among the crowd over the years, back then it was at the top of the shoe pyramid with its groundbreaking lightweight design and its innovative choice in material.

The nubuck upper, providing greater stability and a velvet appearance, was exotic to see on basketball shoes back then and it got these a lot of attention. Bill Russell, who won the NBA championship for the Boston Celtics eleven out of thirteen years that he played, started wearing the Profi’s in his coaching years. And his rival, Wilt Chamberlain, started to sport the pair while he was on the Lakers.

Somewhere along the line, the masterminds at adidas decided to cut the shoe down into the low version like they’ve done with every other model out there. Without slimming down classic shoes like this, we never would’ve gotten the Superstar out of the Pro Model, which was a game-changing move on the trefoil’s part. I think in doing so, they’re hoping to extend their market and to find another hidden gem (like the Supes) that may be hiding underneath all that ankle support.

Is this Profi Lo’s release at the beginning of 2013 going to be that hidden gem? Although it has a very elegant physique with refreshing perforations on the toe box and a unique heel stabilizer, I don’t see it coming out with too big of a bang. It has a classic look that only appeals to the few who like the history-rich, old school basketball shoes. In an age when camo teddy bear shoes are being released by Jeremy Scott, it’s hard to start a storm with such a modest shoe such as this one.

written by Kyle Zemborain

photography by errol