FILA brings back the Grant Hill 1 with an ode to his retro Sprite commercials

The youngin’s may not know it, but Grant Hill was one of the NBA’s leading stars with a signature sneaker to match before injuries derailed his career after just six seasons. Hill’s FILAs were an unlikely hit away from the usual suspects of Nike, Adidas, and Reebok — and one pair in particular garnered attention from sneakerheads without ever releasing.

After more than 20 years, the FILA Grant Hill 1 will finally release in a variant pulled directly from Sprite’s tropical colors. The official collaboration brings to life a sneaker that had only been seen in one of Hill’s Sprite commercials from the ‘90s. In it, Hill takes a sip of the soft drink before throwing down a sweet 360-degree dunk — the sort of athletic feat that Hill lost when his ankles went south.

The colorful high-top basketball sneaker is a serious blast from the past, a call back to when FILA wasn’t among sneakerheads. A blue-to-green gradient appears throughout the Grant Hill 1’s tongue and mudguard, while Sprite’s vintage logo appears on the sneaker’s heel. A semi-translucent outsole also adds to the sneaker’s appeal, while the alternating blue and green eyestays carry all the way back to the ankle — whether you need them or not.

They even recreated the commercial — A remake of the vintage ad sees a much grayer Hill step back onto the court, this time hitting a long-range three more emblematic of what we like to call “old man game.” Also seen in the spot are matching Sprite x FILA shorts, which are releasing alongside the kicks for $68.

The Sprite Grant Hill 1s come in a box created just for the occasion with Sprite’s old logo, and they’ve already sold out on FILA’s website. But if you still want to chase down ‘90s nostalgia where you hadn't expected it, look out for Champs Sports to host another release through its website and physical stores this Thursday, October 21.