Last week, we traveled back to 1999 and highlighted Tim Duncan's game-changing performance in the finals of the last McDonald's Championship. This victory maintained the United States' streak of 9 straight tournament wins, dominating in each year of the competition's existence from 1987 to 1999.
In 1993, the Phoenix Suns were chosen to represent the NBA in the tournament. First, they dominated Real Madrid 145-115, and then on October 23, 1993, they met Bucker Bologna in the finals. Faced with their toughest competition yet, Charles Barkley stepped up for the Suns in a huge way. Barkley led the game with 28 points, driving Phoenix to a 112-90 win to capture the championship. After scoring 52 total points in the two tournament games, Barkley was also honored with the MVP award.
In the early '90s, Michael Jordan's signature line was beginning to explode in popularity and become one of Nike's most profitable ventures. However, Charles Barkley also deserves to be recognized for the waves he made with signature hoops sneakers during this time. Barkley's charismatic, in-your-face persona made him endlessly marketable, and his sneakers were among the most popular of the early '90s. During this 1993 game in Germany, Barkley wore the Nike Air Force Max CB. This classic was recently revamped as the Nike Air Force Max 2 CB HYP, which improves upon the original silhouette with Hyperfuse tech updates. Try out this updated version of Charles Barkley's 1993 classic today for $150.
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RELATED: Today in Performance Sneaker History: Charles Barkley Wears the Nike Air Max Super CB
