Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Nike to rerelease UNLV basketball shoes of late 1980s

NIke Dunks

Courtesy Nike

Nike is re-releasing the Dunks this month as part of the company’s “Be True To Your School” movement. The high-top Runnin’ Rebel version of the shoes, which are grey and varsity red, are expected to be priced at $75.

The style of shoe worn by UNLV’s 1987 Final Four team is making a return.

In 1985, Nike introduced the Dunks in seven color schemes to represent the most popular college basketball programs of that era — Kentucky, Syracuse, Michigan, Villanova, Iowa, St. John’s and UNLV.

Nike is rereleasing the Dunks as part of the company’s “Be True To Your School” movement. The high-top Runnin’ Rebel version of the shoes, which are gray and varsity red, is set to be released on May 14. They are expected to cost $75, according to sneakerfiles.com. Other sites indicate the cost could be more than $100.

Many of UNLV's best teams in the late '80s sported the Dunks, including 1987 Final Four team featuring the likes of All-American Armen “The Hammer” Gilliam and Freddie Banks, two of the best players in school history.

The blue and white Kentucky version of the Dunks and the red and white St. John’s version have already been released. UNLV and Michigan are the next schools due for a release.

The Dunks are rarely used as serious basketball shoes anymore and usually worn for fashion.

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