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During a decade in which seven-footers and a man named Michael ruled the realm, Gary Payton helped transform a Northwestern team from young talented squad to Western Conference Champions in a remarkably short span. Equipped with a defensive skill-set matched only by the rigor of his trash-talking mouth, Gary Payton led the then Seattle Sonics to the ’96 NBA Finals and duked it out with Michael Jordan and the 72-10 Bulls for six games. Payton was amidst the peak of his career – a peak longer than most NBA players – and remained one of the best point guards in the league for another seven seasons since that ’96 Finals appearance. In 1998, Gary Payton was finally appointed his own signature line with Nike and a year later, the Nike Air Zoom GP was unveiled.
The Nike Air Zoom GP was a sneaker truly like no other; it featured a lower cut than most basketball shoes of that era and featured the “monkey paw” heel stability technology that debuted on Air Zoom Flight ’98 (aka “The Glove”). But it’s quite obvious what the nature tech on the Zoom GP was – the adjustable belt clamp that gave the shoe a customizable glove-like snug fit. The cushioning combined Air and Zoom and gave GP the necessary support for his darting feet (until he was knocked out cold by Evander Holyfield). The fresh new colorway combined with the stunning design as well as the popular “oval gradient” seen on other Nikes of that time (Nike Afterburner Flight, Nike Air Sunder) made the Nike Air Zoom GP an instant hit and a true classic today.
