Prof. K: Do you have a favorite Kicksology.net review?
Cooper: My favorite review? I'd have to go with the Shox Stunner...and I guess if someone now were to ask me what my favorite shoe was that I worked on, the Stunner might be the one, and the reason is in the story I'm about to share.

For me, that shoe hit on all points: from day one to player perception, and your review was icing on the cake.

Not many know the true story behind it and I think this is a good opportunity to tell it...

The Idea
Prof. K: Please fill us in, enquiring minds want to know!
Cooper: Well, the Shox Stunner actually started out as a "Blue Sky" project that was done in collaboration with Eric Avar for a friend who was leaving the hoops category. We said, "If we were going to do a signature shoe for him, what would it look like?"

He was an exceptional baseball and basketball player, and a tri-athlete...basically, he was and still is an all-around athlete who demands top performance and who wants the best of the best, no matter the cost — he was helping to drive the category when the original Foamposite was created, so that says something right there.

Anyway, we knew we had to design something a bit "out of this world," but that still had at least some grounding in existing cutting-edge technology.

Well, we finished the "normal" work day and Eric was heading home to work and I stayed to finish up some other projects. But before the end of that day, we had agreed that this signature shoe needed these elements:

1. A fit system like a living organism that "sucked" around your foot after you stepped into it. It would look something like a futuristic, breathable wetsuit (like the one he wore during his swim in the triatholons). There are existing materials that, when electrically charged, constrict until the charge stops, at which point they release. So I was comfortable that this element would be perfect...something super futuristic, but not completely out of the realm of reality.
2. A support system that was another living element that would protect his ankles (he already had bad knees, so a lot of stress was being transferred down to his ankles), but the system couldn't prohibit movement. In fact, we agreed it should feel like a low-top. Again, there are materials (systems) out there that when bent slowly are flexible, but when put under a sudden stress, become quite rigid. Perfect for dynamic ankle protection on the court.

Prof. K: Alright, before you go on I have to ask — can you say who this guy was who you were originally designing the Stunner for?
Cooper: I would Prof., but out of respect for his privacy, I think it would be better if I didn't.

Prof. K: No worries, I feel you on the privacy tip. And please pardon the interuption, this is getting really interesting!
Cooper: Well, with those two thoughts we parted. But before Eric left, he dropped a little marker sketch.

The vision was starting to develope...Eric left to work at home, I stayed on campus. We both meant to work on projects that we had to finish for the business, but we both quickly got pulled back into working on this signature shoe. I finished a sketch based off of Eric's original that I couldn't wait until the morning to show him, so I scanned it and called Eric to get his home email. While on the phone, I sent it and he opened it up. We talked, and then hung up agreeing that Eric would sketch on top of it.

Bing. I jumped at the familiar sound of the email alert...sure enough, it was E. I opened it up. Dropped it back into Photoshop and worked it some more...back to E...back to me. Here's that first drawing:

Cooper: This went on all evening. Before the end of that night...well, I think it was officially morning by then...I had markered up (even though it was in Photoshop, you can't beat the old school techniques) a final, tighter place-holder of Eric's and my late night collaboration, did some photoshop tweaks, printed it out and dropped it on his desk in the morning. It was done. For now:

Cooper: When we both got back into work that morning we talked some more and I did another drawing...then pulled it back into Photoshop (there are some things you just cant beat with Photoshop). Our mystery man's signature shoe was done:

Cooper: His signature shoe did exactly what they all should: take the performance need of the player, innovate to give him an advantage over his opponents and package it all up in something that matches his personality. All-in-all, the shoe matched our signature player's desire for the most high-teched-out rockets for his feet.

But our work wasn't done there!

Prof. K: Keep telling it man, this is awesome...
Cooper: Well, another friend of ours named Kris Aman, who is still a driving force in the category, said, "we have to make that real."

"Excuse me?!", I thought...this is a shoe based on many things that don't exist yet in footwear!

"We have to figure out a way to bring that to retail" he said. "And we have to do it for this season (we were in the middle of designing for Spring 2002)...that shoe should be the signature shoe for March Madness."

That comment, that insight right there inspired me. No one had ever concepted, from the ground up, a signature shoe for March Madness.

And that was that. I now had another project...bring this blue sky project down to earth.

Prof. K: Considering that this concept was, by its very nature, blue sky, how did you shift gears and turn it into something that could actually be manufactured in such a short timeframe?
Cooper: Our approach was to bring in elements that had already proved to be successful. The first was the Penny strap for ankle protection and secure lock-down. We also had to figure out what that mid-foot piece would be, so we thought about a fully integrated TPU [thermoplastic urethane] skin that would be zipped up. Here was the new place holder:

Cooper: "That is what we need!" our new patron said. "A shoe that will shock people, stun them. But we need to ground it more in basketball."

Well, at the time, the new Shox cushioning system in the Shox BB4 was getting huge love from players. It was thought that this would be the perfect technology to ground this project in basketball. And thus the Shox Stunner was born:

Cooper: All it needed now was to be taken into Photoshop for some polishing. And this is what it finally looked like:

Cooper: Then, of course, given the March Madness inspiration, we needed to block it in college colors:

Bringing the Idea to Life & Adding a Twist
Cooper: Now came the real work...making that 2-dimensional rendering come to life in 3-dimensional form...and somehow make it onto the courts.

After many round of revisions and multiple failures of fit and wear test sessions, we began to get positive feedback.

During one of the trips to the factories in Asia, we were all having lunch and I was thinking about this shoe and the whole "March Madness"...well, madness. I was thinking about what it must feel like to be one of those guys or girls to be playing in the tournament. The pressure of being on one of the top seeded teams or the excitement of being on one of the "Cinderella" teams. I was thinking about the one thing that every player there had in common...it was their "dream" to make it to the Final Four.

At that time the whole rubber band thing was going crazy. So many players were wearing them and now you could get them in a rainbow of colors and with different things printed on them. But the trouble with those printed ones was that the print would eventually wear off.

So, while we were sitting there, still eating lunch, I asked the developer on the project, Craig Nomi: "Do you think the factory could do a wristband?"

"Sure", he said (Craig was always good like that...willing to give just about anything a try). So, while eating a McD's chicken sandwich (no mayo), I quickly sketched out a tech drawing of the band...with a swoosh on one side and the word "dream" on the other. I added that because that's everyone's motivation at March Madness — to live the dream of making it to the Final Four. And I also thought it was cool, 'cause just about anyone could relate to it.

And sure enough, by the end of that week the first "dream" wristband was done...in pink. That was because my good friends in the factory knew my wife's favorite color was pink and I had forgotten to tell them that the band was potentially for inclusion with the Shox Stunner! So, if you have one of those "dream" bands [see figure 6 below], you either got it with your shoes or it was given to you by someone...and they all originated back here at Nike.

A quick side note, the band idea now has a much bigger objective. Nike has made millions (yes, millions!) of them in yellow with "liveSTRONG" on them. That's the motto of Lance Armstrong's Cancer fighting foundation. You can buy the "liveSTRONG" bands on NikeTown.com for $1 dollar a piece and the proceeds will go towards helping in the fight against cancer!!!

I Love it When a Plan Comes Together
Prof. K: Man, they must be putting something in the water over there, because y'all are just sick!

In all seriousness, I know you've been doing this for a while, but did you come away from this experience with any new insights? Or, put another way, is there a moral to this story?
Cooper: From the first sketch that Eric dropped on my desk, to the insight to make the shoe reality for something as amazing as March Madness, to the wristband that was concepted over a chicken sandwich...the entire process was fantastic. And like I said in the very beginning...the colorful and positive review on Kicksology.net was the icing on the cake.

The moral from this story?

Think outside of the box (blue sky).
Embrace working with others (I am lucky enough to have the crazy talents at Nike).
Build on other people's ideas (the best ideas come from collaborations).
Dont be afraid to fail.
Work hard.
Chase your dreams.
Have fun.

And with that, my now very good friend Ernest, aka Professor K, I say to you...thank you. Thank you for creating a site that added fuel to the fire of people who are passionate about footwear. Kicksology.net will go down in the history of the footwear industry as the best shoe site to date.

I agree with Kenzo...you will be truly missed...but not forgotten.

All the best to you and your family.

What are you going to do now with all of your free time?!?!

Prof. K: Well, after going to Disney World, I'm going to join the LakeShow and put out the "gone fishing" sign.

But what about you...what are you up to these days? Your crazy looking phone number seems to indicate that you're not in Beaverton any more?
Cooper: That's right E. I am living a dream that I have had since I was in school...living and working in Europe.

Europa Europa: Here's a glimpse at the Bowerman Center inside of Nike's European Headquarters, located in a suburb of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Directly above, you can see a statue of the Greek goddess of victory, from whom the company draws its name. The statue is a reproduction of a beautiful work known as Nike of Samothrace, which is housed in the Musée du Louvre, Paris (that's Paris, France, not Paris, Texas).

That dream is one reason — among a million others — why I decided to go to Nike. When I was interning, Dave Schenone — my boss at the time — and I talked about the potential opportunity to one day transfer over to another office somewhere else in the world. Who knew that it would take nine years, but the stars aligned at just the right time because I was fortunate enough to be the guy Nike wanted to move over to Amsterdam to start a footwear design office out of the European Headquarters. I have been here for one year now with my wife and kids and we're loving it.

Hey, if there are any super freaky talents out there looking for a job at Nike Design, check out www.nikebiz.com. In footwear, we typically hire designers with a degree in industrial design or product design and our recruitment team at our world HQ in Beaverton is dedicated to seeking out and hiring all of the designers at Nike — no matter what part of the world you want to work in. So, if you visit that Web site, you'll see our open footwear design positions and you can apply directly online. Our design recruitment team will receive your application and, if things work out, you may be able to live your dream too!

Prof. K: Sweet! Hey, if you end up hiring someone because of this, do I get a finder's fee? [Laughs] And a word of warning to anyone Stateside who's considering a move to Amsterdam: once you're out there, you're never going to want to come back. Oh, and I hope you like pickled herring!

Pickled fish product notwithstanding, I'm going to have to visit you out there one of these days Coop. But, until then, thank you so much for taking the time to share this awesome behind-the-scenes look at the making of the Shox Stunner! This is the type of thing shoeheads like me can never get enough of. And thanks also for your overly kind words. I hope I was able to make some small contribution to the shoe fans of the world, but anything I've done is dwarfed by the contributions made by you, Eric and all of the other folks behind the curtain. It's people like you who dream up the products that amaze and inspire us, which, in a time when most products are at least "good enough" and everything is developed at a lightening quick pace, is damn hard to do.

For you readers out there, now that you've read the story behind the shoe, take a trip back in time and read my review of the Nike Shox Stunner...

by Professor K, posted April 5, 2002
updated May 2, 2002 (click here for the update)

The Nike Shox Stunner is a shoe that tends to elicit strong reactions from anyone who sees it. "Crazy" is a word I heard used by several people to describe its appearance and there's no doubt that it is a funky looking shoe. At first glance it looks as though an alien has attached itself to the top of last year's Nike Shox BB4. But a closer inspection reveals that the Shox Stunner is actually quite different from its predecessor, and several test wearings revealed to me that there is clearly a method to the madness.

First, that thing that looks like an alien on top of the Shox Stunner is a stretch cage made of an elastic, but still very durable, thermoplastic urethane (TPU). Similar in concept to the fit cage employed on the Nike Air Max Duncan, the TPU stretch cage enhances the fit of the Shox Stunner and allows the shoe to provide excellent support around the midfoot.

The stretch cage works hand in glove with the primarily Lycra-based upper (the toe, ankle area and top of the tongue are covered with a synthetic leather). Unlike a traditional shoe, the Shox Stunner does not have a separate tongue that is connected to the upper at the forefoot. Instead, the upper is formed into a one-piece bootie that coddles the foot in near stitch-free comfort. What makes this possible is that the midfoot-portion of the upper is made of Lycra, which lacks the stiffness of leather or synthetic leather, and stretches to provide optimal fit and comfort.

But Lycra alone is not durable or supportive enough for a hoops shoe, which is where the stretch cage comes in. The combination of the two elements results in ridiculously high levels of comfort, fit, and support and makes the upper as durable as any traditional shoe. If used indoors-only (which is its intended use), the Shox Stunner will hold up longer than just about any traditional EVA-based shoe on the market today.

Speaking of cushioning, the Shox Stunner provides plenty of it at both the forefoot and heel. At the forefoot is low-profile Zoom Air, which many who have experienced have come to love. The Shox BB4 employed the same setup, but the Zoom Air units in the Shox Stunner felt more "springy," to me. This is a good thing as it makes the shoe feel more responsive during hard cuts, takeoffs, and landings. The Shox cushioning system at the heel provided the same excellent impact protection and stability as the BB4, but without the initial break-in period required for the initial colorways of that shoe. So at both the forefoot and heel of the Shox Stunner, cushioning performance is a step above the very good Shox BB4.

Moving back up to the upper, I wanted to talk a bit about the unique design of the ankle-area of the Shox Stunner. If memory serves me right, the Shox Stunner is the first hoops shoe from Nike to feature a Velcro strap without laces at the ankle since the much loved Nike Air Revolution (which will, by the way, be re-released later this year). The lack of laces means that the Shox Stunner does not provide quite the level of ankle support of a shoe like the Nike Air Max Elite, which features laces and an ankle strap, but it still manages to provide ankle support superior to most other hoops shoes. The inclusion of an internalized monkey paw structure at the medial side of the shoe provides an added measure of protection against ankle inversion. And factoring in the extremely solid heel counter, rolling my ankles was never a concern while testing the Shox Stunner.

A side benefit of the strap-only design of the Shox Stunner at the ankle is that, when the strap is undone, the shoe provides the comfort of a low top shoe. After I was done on the court, I would just undo the ankle strap and the shoe was almost as comfortable and unrestrictive as a pre/post-game shoe. This makes the Shox Stunner as appropriate for kicking back around town as it is for kicking butt on the court — a level of performance and versatility that's hard to find in a hoops shoe.

Before summing up, a quick note on the design of the Shox Stunner. As I noted at the beginning of this review, at first glance the Shox Stunner looks like a wacked out version of the Shox BB4 (I mean that only in the best way, as I actually like the look of the shoe). A closer look, however, reveals a design that is substantively different. The aforementioned TPU stretch cage, Lycra upper, and strap-only ankle all help to give the Shox Stunner its own unique look. The Shox BB4 clearly was a design influence, but it was not the only one.

The hard-core shoe fans out there may recognize elements of the two other shoes that influenced Nike designer Aaron Cooper's concept for the Shox Stunner. According to the folks at Nike "his ideas came from talking to college and pro athletes about their favorites kicks...the overwhelming responses were the Shox BB4, Air Penny 4, and the Air Flight Huarache...Coop had the idea to take ideations of these three shoes and compose the perfect court shoe." Can you see the influences now; the distinctive upper/inner-bootie of the Air Flight Huarache, the prominent ankle strap of the Air Penny 4, the forefoot and heel of the Shox BB4? Let it sink in for a few minutes and the design of the Shox Stunner won't seem so crazy anymore.

So, to sum up, the Nike Shox Stunner is a great all-around hoops shoe for all-around players at pretty much any position. The only people I would advise to steer clear are very big/heavy centers, for whom the Zoom Air cushioning at the forefoot may be inadequate, and people who only want the lightest possible shoe (at 19.9 ounces in a U.S. men's size 11, the Shox Stunner is on the heavy side). For everyone else, the comfort, fit, cushioning, support, stability, traction and versatility of the Shox Stunner will make it a shoe that you won't soon want to replace. You may think it looks strange, but once you've tried it on you'll find that the Shox Stunner is easy to love.

Who's Worn It
Shareef Abdur-Rahim (F- Atlanta Hawks), Elton Brand (F- L.A. Clippers), Sam Cassell (G- Milwaukee Bucks), Baron Davis (G- Charlotte Hornets), Allan Houston (G- N.Y. Knicks), Cuttino Mobley (G- Houston Rockets), Jermaine O'Neal (F/C- Indiana Pacers), Jerry Stackhouse (F- Detroit Pistons), Jason Williams (G- Memphis Grizzlies)

by Professor K, posted May 2, 2002

figure 5a & b: The Nike Shox Stunner in black/black-metallic silver.

Because the entire body of the shoe, save the TPU heel counter, is black this colorway of the Nike Shox Stunner has a somewhat more subdued look than the original. If you liked the fit and feel of the white/midnight navy/metallic silver Shox Stunner, but found it a little too "out there" in appearance, you may want to consider the shoe in black. From a distance it can easily be mistaken for the black/black colorway of the Nike Shox BB4.

figure 6: Included with the Nike Shox Stunner is a wrist band made of the same elastic material as the TPU stretch cage.

From a performance perspective this latest colorway of the Nike Shox Stunner offers the same stellar performance as the original. Comfort, fit, support, stability, and ankle support are all top-notch. This is a shoe that I would be more than happy to play all day in.