Ten years ago, Unheardof founder Philip Lipschutz pitched Nike SB a concept for a pack of Dunks inspired by the 1990 World Series, when his hometown Cincinnati Reds swept the Oakland A’s. The project was approved by SB, put into production, and pairs were released at two shops in the Queen City: Unheardof and Anonymous. However, before skate shops outside of Cincy could drop their stock, Nike was hit with a cease and desist by MLB, claiming unauthorized use of the league’s likeness. No team logos or MLB trade marks were used, though the references were enough for Nike SB accounts to have to cancel their 1990SB release.
The cease and desist only brought more attention to the shoes, and the pairs that did make it out into the wild are now highly coveted by collectors. In celebration of the 10th anniversary of these mythical SBs, Phil and the Unheardof team hosted an “Art of the Cease and Desist” art show and raffle on December 5th at the Cincinnati Contemporary Arts Center, which we were personally invited to. Thanks Phil!
Limited-edition prints and t-shirts were made for the occasion, and every purchase from the collection, either at the event or online, entered you into a raffle for a chance to win a pair of the original Dunks, complete with a special 10th anniversary holographic box.
Two 1-of-1 special boxes were made: one for the “Nasty Boys” Dunk Low — dedicated to the powerful relief pitcher trio of the 1990 Reds — and another for the Oakland-inspired “Bash Brothers” Dunk High, referencing the Athletics’ legendary slugging duo, Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire. The two raffle winners will receive a pair of the original Dunks in their size (sourced from the resell market), packaged in its corresponding special anniversary box designed by Phil, along with extra goodies — commemorative stickers and baseball cards.
At the event, Phil also revealed other Nike SB projects he worked on that almost released but never saw the light of day. This includes a “First Date” pack he pitched in 2013 inspired by local ice cream chain Graeter’s, featuring a “Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip” Dunk High and a “Coconut Chocolate Chip” Dunk Low, complete with special ice cream pint packaging. Nike SB would later use the ice cream pint special box idea for their Ben & Jerry’s Chunky Dunky collab in 2020.
Check out our on-site coverage with Phil below and make sure to stay follow Unheardof on Instagram and X as they have some big surprises planned for 2026.
10 years ago, @unheardofbrand and Anonymous dropped their 1990 World Series-inspired Nike SB pack and got hit with a cease-and-desist from MLB ⚾️❌
— Modern Notoriety (@ModernNotoriety) December 8, 2025
We linked up with Phil in Cincinnati for the 10th anniversary celebration to relive the release MLB tried to kill, but couldn’t… pic.twitter.com/epWcEmwYgy