Soon after Amare Stoudemire signed with the Knicks in 2010, he said, "I'm a pioneer right now to really take a step forward and help rebuild a program and get us back on top."

What many people didn't know is that Stoudemire, the pioneer, wanted to rebuild something else when he arrived in New York: his on-court eyewear. In the latter part of 2010, STAT, a Nike athlete, approached the Nike Vision team, a newer division within the company's headquarters in Beaverton, Ore., to see if they could tailor make a pair for him. Stoudemire, who suffered a partially detached retina in his right eye in a game on Feb. 18, 2009, had been previously wearing more generic Oakley shades for protection, and he wanted something better suited for his game.

For several months, Stoudemire and Nike Vision worked hand-in-hand in customizing new eyewear that would help the power forward on the court. In doing so, they set a new standard in innovation. Stoudemire had his first crack at wearing the eyewear during the summer and called them "phenomenal."

"The goggles are more steady, man," said Stoudemire, whose favorite goggles of all-time were the ones worn by Bulls power forward Horace Grant in the 1990s. "They went through a whole laboratory system to figure out whether they can be compatible with the way I play and also the contact of the sport. They're real good. They feel good. It's amazing technology. I didn't know there were labs at Nike factory, but they've got it covered."

To find out more about Stoudemire's eyewear, Nike's North America Senior Communications Manager, Brian Strong, provided exclusive insights to ESPNNewYork.com. Here is Strong with five key design cues about them (as told to Jared Zwerling):

1.) THE PROCESS

The whole point was getting this right for Amare; not sacrificing quality for speed of a turnaround because there are plenty of eyewear that's out there that I'm sure Amare has access to. But he obviously came to Nike for a particular reason. This product is built specifically for him, so it wasn't just about taking something off the shelf and tweaking it for Amare. It's not in retail for now. The point was just to give him something that made his game a little better and easier.

Everything we do with an athlete is a very hand-in-hand thing, where we bring them into the process. We worked with Amare in a very kind of symbiotic way. Amare was hand-in-hand in the development of this product and giving us his insights, so in turn, we delivered on our mission to build innovations that enhance the performance of the athlete.

2.) THE TESTING

They actually went through a standard testing procedure called the ASTM D5083, in which they fire a 90 mph squash ball at the frames. Not with Amare in the frames obviously. What that proved was the durability was pretty dialed in. We then tested them on models and other players before some of those fit reviews occurred with Amare. He was mostly part of the entire fit and testing process.

Amare received the finalized version of what he's wearing now last spring. He had some opportunity to wear them during the offseason and get himself really used to wearing the eyewear over his corrective lenses. At that point, he was really pretty comfortable with them. Now, the product that you see him wearing is what he's had a chance to have his hands on for almost going on a year.

3.) THE LENSES

They took a shield lens and they cut that into two, in order to give Amare that really wide range -- that fuller frame of reference and perspective as a player. The lenses themselves are anti-reflective. They're also hydrophobic, which makes them resistant to fog, and oleophobic, which makes them resistant to sweat and grease as well. Amare carries a few pairs for each game, and he can wipe each one down real quickly.

4.) THE FRAMES

Most people tend to look at things from a style perspective first, but we really tend to look at things from an innovation perspective. So a lot of the things that you might like about the look actually was done for the purpose of function and performance. The bottom of the frames is clear, where the top is opaque, and that is actually done for a specific reason. The opaque nature of the top of the frame actually helps send off flashes and light from overhead, which can really obstruct and hurt his perspective. That is official to Amare's vision. The clarity along the bottom allows for real depth of vision from a low-profile perspective. That actually helps his game quite a bit.

The reason for the large nature and the width of the frame is strictly for Amare. That over-sized look is what Amare needs for his field of vision. The goal is really to A) make the frame as close to invisible to Amare as possible, and then B) give him the best perspective from a peripheral vision angle as we can possible give him.

The frames are made of the highest-level polycarbonate, and there is no hard plastic on his face, which Amare didn't want. In addition to the nylon strap that keeps them on, the frames have some impact points on his face, but they're made of a material that's a little more comfortable for him. In addition, there is a little personal accent inside the frames: an "AS" logo for Amare Stoudemire.

5.) THE FUTURE

We’ve come quite a long way. I think obviously this is a thorough process. What you’re seeing from Nike is a really premium level of innovation that caters to the specifications of an athlete. Amare is doing well on the court with them, and the process never really stops. The question is: what’s next for us? We can engage with any of our athletes, explore new technology and make it better. It's the same way with footwear or any other product we create.

You can follow Jared Zwerling on Twitter.