Kinney Shoes NBA 1970s Upside Down Swoosh vintage sneaker poster

JUNE 2023 UPDATE: We will be posting this pair of Kinney NBA sneakers and many other pairs of sneakers from the blog will be going up for auction on our eBay shop in the next week or two. Opening bid is .99 cents with no reserve and worldwide shipping. If you’re interested we will post on our Instagram once the auctions are up.

Here’s a cool old school poster from Kinney NBA. The Kinney Shoes NBA 1970s Upside Down Swoosh vintage sneaker poster is an iconic piece that captures the essence of sports culture in the 70s. The poster showcases several pairs of Kinney Shoes with a unique upside-down swoosh and 4 stripe logos alongside the official NBA logo. The sneakers themselves are a classic representation of the era, with bold colors and designs. Kinney considered themselves to be “The Great American Shoe Store” and was massive at the time but eventually faded and later went on to found Foot Locker. The poster artwork was made by Ray Caram of Milano Studios in Long Island, NY. If you’re interested in more Kinney history check out this vintage commercial here.

Kinney Shoes NBA 1978 Upside Down Swoosh vintage sneaker commercial

Here’s a 1978 vintage commercial by Kinney Shoe Stores for their upside down swoosh and 4 stripe NBA branded sneakers. Kinney eventually went on to become the founder of what today is known as Foot Locker.

Kinney Shoes NBA's Ken Berry 1978 Vintage Sneaker Commercial

Here’s a strange 1978 vintage sneaker commercial for Kinney’s NBA line of 4 stripe sport shoes.

The original link is featured over at Indiana University.

Kinney NBA Sneakers 4 stripe shoe commercial from 1980

We’ve covered Kinney’s NBA line previously with a few vintage ads and on the blog. Here’s a 1980 commercial for the Kinney NBA 4 stripe sneaker line.

Kinney NBA 1977 SL72 and SL76 style vintage sneakers

Here’s a 1977 vintage sneaker ad for the Kinney NBA runners. Kinney is now defunct but was a shoe store that was in shopping malls throughout the 70s and 80s. For awhile there Kinney was openly bootlegging the logos of sneakers made by bigger brands, including the Nike upside down swoosh shoes and Adidas-esque 4 stripers. This NBA sneaker basically merged the design elements of the Adidas SL72 with the D-Ring lace holder of the SL76 and threw on a heel wrap on the back.

Ad info is below:

THE KINNEY NBA
One action shoe that covers all the ground

• Easy breathing wide mesh gold nylon knit.
• Suede reinforcements at key stress points.
• Wrap-around rubber heel and toe protection.
• Ground gripper ribbed rubber sole.
• Fast tightening speed laces.
• Reinforced heel padding to protect achilles tendon.
• Full arch support.
• Extra thick heel wedge for extra comfort.
• Nylon foam padded tongue.
• A trimmed down, dynamite price tag!

Boys' sizes 3 to 6. Just $16.99 Men's sizes 61/2 to 13. $18.99 If you're a serious runner, a little leaguer, or the jock on the block, this is probably the best all around shoe value you can team up with. And it's only one of Kinney's great action collection of NBA sport shoes for everyone.

Kinney
The Great American Shoe Store

Kinney 1977 4 stripe NBA sneakers compared with Adidas SL72 and SL76