20 Years Of Nike Basketball Design: Air More Uptempo (1996)

It debuted the summer after that legendary season and saw most of its on-court time in the next NBA campaign, the Nike Air More Uptempo could be seen as the bookend to Nike Basketball’s utterly superior 1995-96 campaign.  Riding high on a wave of momentum built by standout designs like the Air Jordan XI, Air Max Penny 1, Zoom Flight 95 and even a slam dunk on the ladies end with the Air Swoopes, Swoosh designer Wilson Smith wanted to figure out how to make Nike’s triumph even more apparent.  Scottie Pippen made this model his own as a part of Chicago’s triumph over Seattle in the ’96 Finals, then rocked the just-retroed patriotic pair at the Atlanta Olympics while a nation of young sneakerheads followed along as best we could (anyone else cop the Air Much Uptempo takedown version?).  Have a closer look at sketches and promotional material as well as some words from the designer below and stick with Sneaker News for more on this trip down memory lane through two decades of Nike Basketball standouts.
“I think generally the mid-90s were just a bigger-than-life time….”- Wilson Smith
Sometimes less isn’t more – logic is restored, and more is more. The Nike Air More Uptempo took branding to new heights to match an unprecedented application of Nike Air that ran from the toe to the heel. The mission for lead designer Wilson Smith was simple, “How can we just let the world know and express it as well as we can?”
Inspired by the oversized objects in pop art, graffiti on the side of trains and an architectural project he had worked on, Wilson worked ‘AIR’ into the upper to drive the point home. In 1996, cars were big, jeans were big, and big was better. The Nike Air More Uptempo was an extension of the environment.
Anti-subtle, but carefully correlated with the sole’s technology, Wilson was tactical in his approach. ”I knew where the air bag kind of lined up, so I flipped it and on the medial I made the ‘AIR’ in the other direction.”
Ideal for the vertical player who needed the lockdown and abundance of cushioning, the Nike Air More Uptempo became Scottie Pippen’s shoe of choice. Accompanied by the lighter Nike Air Much Uptempo, a point guard’s favorite, the shoes were hard to ignore on camera as the bright lights shined on Pippen and the game’s elite in Atlanta.
In celebration of the summer of basketball, we’re revisiting our most iconic Nike Basketball shoes of the past 20 years. Learn more.

Nike Hyperposite “Bright Crimson”

This past Friday, Sneaker News provided you an exclusive first look at the upcoming Black/Bright Crimson colorway of the Nike Air Max Hyperposite, Nike Sportswear’s latest Foamposite endeavor featuring a full-length 360 Max Air unit with a Hyperfuse-infused Foamposite upper. One of the nation’s most decorated Nike sample-mongers regularolty of LDRS in the Chi hits us with a nice on-foot image of the Hyperposite while trekking it to Houston for the H-Town Sneaker Summit, giving us a nice real-life angle of the kicks. As we expected, the Hyperposite will take some “getting used to”, but Ty is definitely doing us all a favor by providing these applicable photos, so check out the full on-foot shot below and let us know if you plan on copping the Hyperposite when it debuts later this year.

Reebok Zig Escape – John Wall Season 3

Reebok Basketball’s lone star athlete John Wall will enter his third NBA season later this year – will he be able to Escape the depths of the NBA Lottery and lead the Washington Wizards to a Playoff berth? The Wizards are definitely among the most talked-about teams this offseason for their impressive roster-revamp; they’ve added Emeka Okafor to battle down low alongside Nene, bolstered the swingman position with Trevor Ariza, and drafted Bradley Beal of Florida to help out in the backcourt. It seems the Wizards made all the right moves toward Playoff contention, but the future of the Wizards truly lies on the shoulders of John Wall, who will debut the Reebok Zig Escape later this year. The Zig midsole returns with a dazzling upper that anyone will quickly attribute to the Reebok Kamikaze and an exterior lacing system that gives the Zig Escape a sportier look. Another tonal-black colorway is available for preview below, so take a look and we’ll keep you updated on more of the Wall’s third signature shoe with Reebok. Photos: ult

Nike Zoom Kobe VII “Gold Medal”

You’ve already seen how Kevin Durant will be celebrating in sneaker form in the event that Team USA manages the gold in basketball, but what about his Nike Basketball brethren Kobe Bryant and LeBron James? They’ll be taking part in the festivities as well, with the Nike Zoom Kobe VII seen here with a gold upgrade on the side Swoosh and on the speckled look that hits the heel clip. Click through with us to check out the pair, let us know if you prefer them to the more straightforward USA colorway for the summer, and keep in mind that they’ll be arriving in Asian markets on August 11th-so expect a date close to that for the stateside release. Photo: gallery2

Nike Lunar TR1 LeBron James PE’s

It’s good to be King, but let’s not forget that LeBron James doesn’t simply wake up in the morning, roll out of bed and start dominating fools.  We’ve seen other guys with tremendous athleticism fail to put the whole picture together, but with LeBron, it’s clear that his hard-earned experience informs not only a new found appreciation for the imagination-stimulating powers of a good book, but also a voracious appetite for offseason training.  Friday’s torch lighting in London gives James something else to strive for after capturing his first NBA Championship, and these exclusive Nike Lunar TR1s offer a customized ride for all those extra training sessions.  DJ Clark Kent got his hands on red and blue styles offering stark contrasts against black and white in totally different ways; which of the LeBron Lunar TR1s would you rather own?

Air Jordan 1 Phat “Metallic Gold” – Available

The greatness that is Michael Jordan actually started before he stepped foot on an NBA court. Many of his coaches point to the 1984 Olympics as Michael’s true coming-out party, although by then he proved to be one of the most dangerous scorers in nation (his Championship-winning shot in 1982 proves that). Regardless, the Air Jordan 1 is still heralded as the match that lit the massive flame, and the upcoming ‘Metallic Gold’ colorway celebrates all the ‘Golden Moments’ of his illustrious career. Premier has ‘em available ahead of the scheduled August arrival so head there to cop after you check out the gallery below, and let us know if you think this is a worthy ‘third leg’ to mid-August’s Golden Moment Pack!
Air Jordan 1 Phat
White/Metallic Gold
364770-130
08/2012
$105