Aaron Cooper on Designing Nikes for Scottie Pippen and Charles Barkley | The Complex Sneakers Show

Aaron Cooper is a Nike design veteran who worked on genre-defining basketball sneakers for athletes like Charles Barkley, Kevin Garnett, LeBron James, and Scottie Pippen. Cooper started out as Nike’s first design intern in the 90s, ascending from there to influence classics like the Nike Free, Air More Uptempo, and Air Max Plus. Cooper talks about his long resume, his design philosophy, and what he believes is the future of the industry. He also gives updates on his current work with EQLZ and Better Guards. At the top of the episode, Joe La Puma, Brendan Dunne, and Matt Welty anticipate next year’s “Bred” Air Jordan 1 and break their moratorium on the Air Max Dn. Chapters: 0:00 - 1:55: Intros 1:55 - 3:08: Joe’s High School Hall of Fame Induction 3:08 - 8:09: Topics We’ll Cover 8:10 - 10:15: Yachty’s Nod To Nigo 12:04 - 15:53: Air Max DN Latest Updates 15:53 - 18:09: Pringles x Crocs 18:09 - 22:08: New Balance Loafers 22:08 - 23:20: Introducing Our Guest, Aaron Cooper 23:20 - 27:55: Sneaker Cam 27:55 - 32:15: How Aaron Started At Nike 32:15 - 37:30: Working With Nike’s Top Athletes 37:30 - 43:35: Scottie Pippen And The More Uptempo 43:35 - 51:11: Shoes Pivoting From One Athlete To Another 51:11 - 57:12: Data Influencing Design 57:12 - 1:03:40: Showing The EQLZ Sneaker And Innovation 1:03:40 - 1:08:45: Better Guards Brace Demonstration 1:08:45- 1:12:07: Instagram Discussion 1:12:08 - 1:17:24: Thoughts On Anthony Edwards’ Signature Shoe 1:17:24 - 1:20:45: Kevin Garnet