In 1949, Keds introduced a line of athletic shoes called Pro-Keds, which were intended for more serious use, specifically for basketball. Over the years many basketball

Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

 players and teams wore Pro-Keds shoes while playing. The first Pro Keds product was the Classic Royal.

Pro-Keds has become synonymous with some of the biggest names in basketball history and professional sports, and attained cult status as the first real sneaker with style among New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

's hip-hop community. Some of basketball's biggest names wore Pro-Keds on and off the court, including Nate Archibald, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a retired American professional basketball player. He is the NBA's all-time leading scorer, with 38,387 points. During his career with the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers from 1969 to 1989, Abdul-Jabbar won six NBA championships and a record six regular season...

 and Pete Maravich

Pete Maravich

Peter "Pistol Pete" Press Maravich was an American professional basketball player. Born and raised in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, Maravich starred in college at Louisiana State University and played for three NBA teams until injuries induced him to retire in 1980...

.

Pro-Keds has re-issued the classic Royal Canvas, the Court King and the historic Royal Master basketball shoe.