The Nike Dunk was first introduced in 1985 as a basketball shoe. It was designed to be a lower-priced alternative to Nike's flagship basketball shoe, the Air Jordan. The Dunk quickly gained popularity among college basketball teams, many of whom were sponsored by Nike and had their own exclusive colorways of the shoe. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Dunk became a popular shoe in the emerging skateboarding scene. The shoe's design, with its padded collar and thick sole, made it well-suited for the demands of skateboarding.
In the late 1990s, Nike began to phase out the Dunk as a performance basketball shoe, but it remained popular in the skateboarding and fashion communities. The shoe was re-released in the 2000s and has since seen numerous collaborations and special editions.
The Dunk is now considered a classic sneaker and continues to be popular among sneaker enthusiasts and collectors. Its iconic design, along with its association with college basketball and Skateboarding, has cemented its place in sneaker history.