Nike Takes a Trip Down Memory Lane With Premium Makeovers of Classic Basketball Sneakers
With NBA All-Star Weekend approaching, Nike‘s celebrating its hoops heritage by giving some of its most iconic basketball models premium reworkings.
Known as the “5 Decades of Basketball” collection, this group represents the past, present and future of Nike Basketball. It includes 1972’s Blazer Low (renamed the Blazer Studio Low), 1982’s Air Force 1 (known here as the Air Force 1 High SL), 1997’s Air Foamposite Pro, LeBron James‘ Air Zoom Generation from 2003 and the new Flight Bonafide to represent where the brand is headed.
“Starting on the court and making noise in the streets, five iconic shoes represent five decades of design innovation,” reads Nike’s official description. Each of the shoes in this collection forgo their traditional construction and materials in favor of rich vachetta leather, rose-gold hardware, premium stitching and updates such as Lunarlon insoles for improved comfort.
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The Blazer Studio Low retails for $120 and features a tan vachetta leather upper with engraved branding, leather laces and a white midsole.
The $275 Air Force 1 High SL — short for “Sport Luxury” — features a revamped design with modified stitching, a tassel detail at the heel and a drop-in Lunarlon insole for improved comfort.
The ’90s classic Air Foamposite Pro ditches its signature polyurethane foam upper for a vachetta tan build that even extends to its underfoot carbon fiber support shank. Leather laces and a rose-gold Swoosh complete the look, which is priced at $300.
LeBron James’ recently revived first signature sneaker, the Air Zoom Generation, is also getting the vachetta tan and rose-gold treatment for a look reminiscent of its original 2003 “Wheat” colorway. This pair retails for $200.
Rounding out the group is the Flight Bonafide, a new sneaker that melds the midsole of the Air Zoom Flight 95 with a Flyknit upper. This sneaker won’t be available to purchase with the rest of the collection, but Nike has confirmed the Flight Bonafide will see a wide release later this year.
The “5 Decades of Basketball” collection drops Feb. 18 at 10 a.m. ET on nike.com.
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