‘Even Jordan doesn’t have his face on a sneaker’: How Stan Smith became both a tennis and fashion icon

The extraordinary life and times of tennis and fashion icon Stan Smith.

Depending on your age, the name Stan Smith probably means one of two things. For younger people, it’s the name of a sleek and stylish leather Adidas sneaker. For those of an older age, it’s the name of a strapping six-foot-four, moustachioed US tennis star. “People sometimes are surprised that there is even a person affiliated with that name at all,” Smith tells CNN with a chuckle. “It’s been interesting over the years and it’s been fun in many ways to see people’s reactions … finding out there was a tennis player named Stan Smith.” It’s rare for somebody to be talented and charismatic enough to become an icon in one field. It is rarer still for somebody to become an icon in two. As sports journalist Cari Champion notes in the documentary ‘Who is Stan Smith?’, which explores the remarkable life of the two-time grand slam champion, activist and style icon: “He has his face on a sneaker. Even Jordan doesn’t have his face on a sneaker.”