The Nike Air Alpha Force 88 is Re-Releasing This Year
Worn by Michael Jordan between the release of the AJ2 and debut of the AJ3.
Continuing to delve into its archive, Nike is now set to bring back the Nike Air Alpha Force 88. The iconic late ’80s basketball was famously worn by Michael Jordan during his first full NBA season following his injury the year prior. Interestingly MH wore the shoe during a time when his Jordan Brand partnership was falling out of favor, as fans were not particularly excited about the Air Jordan 2 and Tinker Hatfield was still working on developing the Air Jordan 3.
During the Chicago Bulls‘ game again the New York Knicks in January 1988, January stepped onto the court in a pair of Nike Air Alpha Force 88s in “White/University Red/Black/Neutral Grey.” Although the footwear model never became a massive success, Nike is gearing up to bring back a unique moment in basketball history with the Air Alpha Force 88 later this year.
Indicative of the late ’80s and early ’90s basketball sneaker designs, the Nike Air Alpha Force 88 features a full-grain leather upper expressing tri-tone colorways. Detailing comes in the form of perforated panels, tonal stitching, colored eyelets, piping, corduroy collars, lockdown straps at the vamp regions, and the usual midfoot Swooshes. Additional branding includes “AIR ALPHA FORCE” motif embroidery at the tongue, “NIKE” on the lockdown straps, and printed insoles. Elevating the shoe are AIR SOLE assisted midsoles paired with rubber outsoles with stitching at the forefoot.
Priced at $130 USD, the Nike Air Alpha Force 88 is now expected to return first with “White/Black/Grey” and “White/Fire Red/Grey” colorways during the Summer 2023 season. Followed by the “White/Venom Green” ($130 USD), along with the “Light Bone,” and OG “White/University Red/Black” colorways priced at $140 USD in Fall 2023.
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