At the beginning of the year, Saucony Originals released the Spot-Bilt by Saucony Sonic High As a throwback to the 1980s, in which the company outfitted a number of top-class American basketball athletes, including models such as the Hangtime and the Xavier “The X-Man” McDaniels X-Press.

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In 1984, Spot-Bilt was also on the verge of signing an unknown rookie named Michael Jordan.

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It turned out differently, but who knows, maybe this Sonic Hi color scheme would have violated NBA regulations. Spot-Bilt would have had to pay a fine of USD 5,000 for every bet on the court, launching one of the simplest and most sustainable advertising campaigns in basketball shoe history.

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This Saucony Originals x BEAMS collab is reminiscent of that “What/If timeline.” In the end, it's just three colors — in an iconic combination — but only colors.

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The Saucony Originals x BEAMS Sonic Hi will be released on October 15th. Keep an eye on our Sneaker release calendar.

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Photos via Saucony