Cast your mind back to the 1988 NBA Slam Dunk Contest.
Even if you were too young to remember it, or if it was before your time, you probably know what went down.
Michael Jordan blew minds by taking flight from the free-throw line and throwing it down to score a perfect 50 on his third and final dunk of the night, winning the contest on his home floor in Chicago.
It was awe-inspiring stuff, so much so that Jordan Brand even released a sneaker paying homage to the move with a stylized free-throw line slashing through the outsole.
But MJ wasn’t the first to dunk from the charity stripe, oh no. Twelve years prior, one of the greatest dunkers of all time performed that same feat, wowing crowds at the final ABA Slam Dunk Contest in 1976.
His name was Dr. J.
Julius Erving, a Hall of Fame small forward who won two titles and three MVP awards with the pre-merger ABA’s New York Nets and an NBA chip with the Philadelphia 76ers, is one of the legends of the game, and he did it all in Converse Pro Leather.
Now Converse is paying tribute to Dr. J’s career and the long history of his New York Nets with the release of the Pro Leather ‘Birth of Flight.’
Building on that classic white leather upper, the ‘Birth of Flight’ features tearaway Converse Chevron logos, gold debossing and ABA basketball designs on the heel tabs.
Elevate your rotation when the Converse Pro Leather ‘Birth of Flight’ releases in Men’s sizing at jdsports.com on 2/18.
