Even after his playing years, Michael Jordan is still as big an endorser as anyone else out there. Sad to say, I’ve never owned any of his sneakers (Even the retro releases are too damn expensive). This post isn’t about any of his shoes though. It’s about the next two pairs of basketball sneaks I ever owned which didn’t have to rely on His Airness’ stamp of approval.
Nike Air Raid
For some reason, I can’t find any resource online about my Nike Air Raids (but they do exist). I got them as a gift when I was in 6th grade.
Now that I’m looking at them after more than 10 years, the overall design feels like it was inspired by er.. tires. You’ve got those “Air Raid” prints on the velcro straps, and the soles were obviously made for the outdoor basketball. It would have made a world of difference if the name of the shoe wasn’t printed on the straps as well. The thing I hate about not only these, but all velcro based shoes in general, is that those straps tend to curl up after prolonged usage. These shoes gave way after using them for baseball AND soccer. Not a smart way to prolong basketball shoe life eh? If I had the same shoes today (but without the velcro prints), I’d sure wear them again.
Here’s Spike Lee and Tim Hardaway showing them shoes off.