About

adidas Superstar

In 1969 adidas solved a problem basketball players had had for years: the toe of a leather shoe wore out when pushing off. The solution was a ribbed rubber cap over it. Practical, ugly according to some, and ultimately the most famous detail the brand has ever made.

Which construction you have in front of you

The shell toe is on all versions, but underneath there is more difference than you might think. The regular Superstar keeps the low, narrow proportions. The II is a later revision with a different lining and finish. The XLG puts the same upper on a thicker, taller sole, and there is also a Mid version that covers the ankle. In addition, the Superstar Bold with its platform sole and the Superstar Slip-On without laces stand as separate models. Same toe, different shoe — so pay attention to which you’re comparing.

The shell is a repair

That shell toe is therefore not a style choice but a reinforcement. The ribs give the rubber flexibility without tearing, and the shape protects exactly where a player rolls his foot. Everything around it is deliberately kept restrained: low leather, three rows of perforated holes where other models have stitched stripes, and a flat sole.

Then it stepped onto the stage

In the mid-eighties a group from Queens wore this model without laces, with the tongue out. When they sang it in a sold-out hall in New York and the audience held their shoes up en masse, adidas saw something happen that it had not arranged itself. What followed was a sponsorship deal with musicians instead of athletes — for a sports brand at the time an unprecedented step, and in hindsight the beginning of sneaker culture as we know it now.

Why it stuck around

The Superstar survived because it has two lives. On the court it was a tool; off it became a uniform. Within the family the Superstar 80s is closer to the original version, and anyone seeking the brand’s broader court story looks to the adidas Court family. A monster with armor on its nose.

On this page you can see which versions of the adidas Superstar are hottest right now according to the Hypescore, the starting price, and how many shops have them in stock.