Ross Dwyer It’s been 30 years since the Detroit Pistons swept the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1989 NBA Finals, and now Nike is paying homage to the legendary “Bad Boys” squad with a homage-packed version of the Air Force 1 Low. Lead by Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, Bill Laimbeer, and a young Dennis Rodman, the Pistons were known for their gritty, physical, intimidating style of play that bullied Magic Johnson, James Worthy, and Kareem Abdul Jabbar’s Lakers into submission over the course of the series. However, this Force opts for a more flashy look, featuring an upper mostly composed of red patent leather that nods to one of the team’s uniform colors. Tonal-style accents are then provided by a debossed pattern on the red leather Swoosh and rear panel, while thick gold embroidery on the lateral heel acknowledges the championship year. The eyestays and throat are dressed in white, with further Pistons-style details arriving on the tongue’s alternate Nike logo. A simple white midsole and icy outsole complete the outwardly visible part of the look, but there’s more than first meets the eye on these Air Force 1s: the left insole features a flowing “Just Do It” script hit that nods to the Finals logo used that year, while the right boasts a large block-letter “D” as a final nod to Detroit. Check out these new Finals-inspired kicks here, and look for a release in June of this year, likely corresponding with the 2019 NBA Finals.
Nike Air Force 1 Low “1989 NBA Finals”
Release Date: June 2019
Style Code: CI9882-600
Images: solebyjc
