Michael Jordan's Coveted Nike Air Ship Pro Is Now Set to Release
Exclusively at Italian retailer Back-Door Bottega.
After 36 years, Michael Jordan‘s infamously “Banned” black and red Nike Air Ship Pro sneakers are now set to release for the first time ever. Unexpectedly the unreleased shoe that kicked off the classic “Bred” colorway will be available exclusively Italian retailer Back-Door Bottega this month.
Aside from teasing the release on Instagram, Back-Door Bottega also created a special landing page that breaks down the importance of the Air Ship.
Worn by Michael Jordan during the start of the 1984-85 NBA preseason in just three games and his first two months of training with the Chicago Bulls. “His Airness” was fined $5,000 USD each time he wore the sneakers as they violated the league’s uniform policy.
The extremely important Nike Air Ship Pro “Bred” was assembled hastily by the Nike team following its signing of MJ and the Air Jordan 1 was simply an idea at the time. Nike put together the shoe with the upper from the Nike Air Ship and the midsole and sole from the Nike Pro Circuit tennis shoe. The usual Air Ship sole unit was swapped out as it was too high and heavy for MJ, who usually wore mid or low top design shoes on the court.
The upcoming release at Back-Door Bottega comes as a complete surprise, as a shoe with such historical weight in the basketball world would typically be announced through Jordan Brand. It is interesting to note images of the Air Ship Pro retro will feature a midsole assisted by Nike REACT cushioning.
Founder of Back-Door Bottega, Marco Evangelisti, spoke on the release saying, “All I can say, speaking as a collector and big fan of Michael Jordan, is that I am really proud and excited for the choice of the Jordan Brand to give me and my store Back-Door Bottega the exclusive premiere of this masterpiece. Out on the 7th of August, on Bottega Back-Door, stay tuned!”
According to Back-Door Bottega, the extremely rare shoes will be released via an in-store, where customers will need to find one of 150 stickers hidden at the iconic landmarks of Bologna, Italy from August 1 to August 6. The stickers will feature QR codes that will provide entry into the raffle.
Stay tuned for more details.
For more footwear news, a Nike SB designer recently revealed the Dunk High that inspired the upcoming “Sashiko” Pack.
