Nike Dunk High Black Fives Harlem Renaissance Edition

Nike Dunk High (NY Rens)
Collector Opportunity!The term Black Fives usually refers to basketball leagues that thrived in the United States in the period between 1900 and 1940, when racial segregation was institutionalized, in which African-American players in New York, Washington, D.C., Chicago and Pittsburgh, and later other cities, engaged in community-based and inter-city leagues and rivalries. this special collectible Nike Dunk pays tribute to one of the earliest black professional basketball teams in America, the New York Rennaissance, known as the Rens. The Rens, who are considered by experts to be as important in the development of black basketball as the Harlem Globetrotters, began in 1920, and their first victory over the white world champion Original Celtics in 1925 was a watershed moment in both basketball and race relations in the United States.
Robert Douglas, a resident of New York City who had emigrated from the British West Indies in about 1902, founded the Rens-–the Renaissance Big Five--in 1923 and by the late 1920s, the Rens had become one of the sport’s top draws in white and black America alike, setting the stage for the team’s undisputed world championship in 1939. The Rens would leave New York for months at a time, traveling thousands of miles and playing every night and twice on Sundays. Off-court, they slept on their bus because they couldn't find a place to stay under the prevailing segregation ("Jim Crow") laws. Once, an Indiana restaurant owner put a tall screen around the team's table to segregate the Rens from other customers. Isaacs, the team's star player, walked out, choosing instead to sit in the bus with a meal of salami on Ritz crackers. On the court, the Rens faced hostile crowds, ruthless name calling and overtly biased referees until their championship in 1939. The New York Renaissance, like other Black Five teams, came to an end in 1940's with the outbreak of World War II, until 1963 when the Rens were named to the Basketball Hall of Fame as a team. Only their arch-rivals, the Original Celtics, and the Buffalo Germans received the same honor. The Rens' selection was well-deserved, for despite traveling and playing throughout America when the harsh effect of segregation was common and often legal, they compiled a 2318-381 record before the team folded in 1949. This special edition dunk is a fitting tribute to their pioneering foray into the professional athletic world.

Back to basics. Now popular with skaters, basketball players, and the fashionable alike, the first ever production of the Nike Dunk shoe was in 1985. Before the Nike Air Jordan I, the Nike Dunk, which later influenced the Jordan I, was the team basketball shoe of choice. It was available in high and low versions in a variety of team colorways to match an uniform, and it came with a matching box and two sets of different color laces. The original Dunk is a highly sought-after collectors item and due to consumer demand, the Nike Dunk line was reissued in 1998 and numerous colorways have been made available on a regular basis since then. Nike released the skate Dunk in 1999 featuring a padded tongue and ankle collar. In 2002, they collaborated withe the Supreme Skate brand to produce the Supreme Dunks, and in 2004, Nike released the new, never-before-seen Nike Dunk Mid. Other special and limited editions include holiday models for Valentine's Day and Christmas, Laser Dunks that feature laser-engraved artwork, Harris Tweed Dunks with famous British tweed fabric, and The Inside Out Dunks. Technologically, the Nike Dunk line of shoes has the most basic of technologies, but its simplicity and wide variety of colors leaves this line of 80’s retro basketball shoes compatible with many styles and make them perfect for casual wear.