New Balance's Best Skate Shoe Returns to Its Roots
The New Balance Numeric 480 is one of many sneakers that, despite being originally designed for basketball, has inadvertently become the perfect skate shoe and, as a result the perfect daily sneaker.
When it was released in 1983, New Balance's low-cut basketball shoe was worn by the likes of seven-time NBA All-Star James Worthy. Fast-forward to 2024 and it’s been reappropriated as a skate shoe, a sneaker story played out with other famous footwear like the Nike Dunk, adidas Campus, and even Converse Chuck Taylor.
The latest batch of New Balance 480 sneakers, dropping in time for Summer 2024, celebrates the history of skaters wearing basketball shoes by taking colorway inspiration from those worn in the ‘80s.
These new NB 480 shoes arrive with the tagline “from ‘83, remixed,” and the remixing done on the shoe includes adding FuelCell foam to the sole, delivering a propulsive cushioned feel to help drive you forward, and a reinforced toe cap.
Available to shop from April 19 at select retail stores and on April 22 via New Balance’s website, the latest New Balance 480 sneaker pack consists of two sublime colorways: a green pair and a purple and yellow iteration (a possible basketball reference to the colors of the Boston Celtics and LA Lakers).
These basketball sneakers turned skate shoes are the work of New Balance Numeric, a skate-focused diffusion line that brought the 480 back from the archives last year, joining the fan-favorite 550 and 650 as effortless all-day casual sneakers.
In the short time since the 480 returned to shop shelves, it’s been recognized by NB admirers as the brand's best skate shoe and possible even the slickest in-house shoe in its rotation, receiving high praise on social media for its selection of understated colorways.
This latest release is only extending the shoe’s beautiful run.
