You have to look in the vintage market to find the classic Clyde insignia on the stylish Pumas that owned the 1970s. Walt “Clyde” Frazier ushered in the era of personalized hoops kicks, a forerunner to Michael Jordan‘s vast sneaker empire and Steph Curry‘s rising Under Armour challenger. Clyde was famous both for his play and his singular style — which you can still see in his role as a commentator on Knicks broadcasts. But Puma doesn’t pay Clyde for his name anymore, so a while back they renamed the sneaker for its second most recognizable feature — they call the shoe the Puma Suede.
You can still find some Clydes if you look — Amazon and eBay have them. But if the name isn’t what you need, only the style, you can often grab the Suedes at nice prices. eBay sometimes runs specials on the Puma Suedes in multiple colors — at under $40. The Suedes are still cool like no other kick, but it’s just not the same. Frazier won two NBA championships with the Knicks and is the author of the most stylish basketball autobiograph/instruction book ever published — a book which also serves as an outstanding time capsule containing the time and place it was written for: Rockin’ Steady: A Guide to Basketball & Cool.