The first sneaker Vince Carter laced up in an NBA regular season game was the Puma Cell Origin Mid.
This occurred on February 5, 1999 in a lockout-shortened season. Many of Vince’s early highlights happened while wearing this sneaker, which was a staple in Carter’s rookie season.
The shoe utilized leather on the upper, a commonality amongst all basketball shoes in the ’90s. The namesake Cell technology is created with blow-molded TPU (plastics) configured in a pattern of hexagonal cells. This helped provide shock absorbance that was similar to Nike Air.
The Puma Cell Origin Mid is currently unavailable at retailers.
Cover image via Sole Collector
