Tennis great Stan Smith on life lessons and Arthur Ashe's legacy Los Angeles Times TIL that the Adidas Stan Smith was first released in 1963 as a tennis shoe named after French player Robert Haillet. After Haillet retired, Adidas replaced him with American player Stan Smith Everything You Need To Know About The adidas Stan Smith Trainer 80's Casual Classics Adidas Stan Smith Before the Adidas Stan Smith became a global icon, it had a very different identity. Originally released as the Haillet, it was named after the French tennis player Robert