I’ll leave all of the rave reviews and technical aspects of this shoe to the others, but I was shocked to see that Nike had decided to add a new (not a retro) sneaker to the Pippen line. Considering the fact that he hadn’t actually played an official NBA game in 11 years (those NBA All-Star Weekend Shootout appearances don’t count!!), it’s still refreshing for a fan like myself–who came of age during the heyday of the championship years of the 90’s Bulls–to be treated to a semblance of the 90’s/early 00’s when we could expect to see a new Pippen shoe to be released, just like the Jordans, Pennys, Barkleys, and GP’s.
When I think about Pip’s sneaker history, I can’t help but to reminisce about the Air Pippen 1’s that he wore as he carried his flu-ridden teammate, Michael Jordan off the court following a typical Jordan performance in Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals. I also think about the Nike Air Maestros that Pippen wore on his way to an MVP performance in the 1994 NBA game. Let’s not forget the Nike Air More Uptempos–perhaps Pippen’s most popular shoe from an aesthetics standpoint–which Pippen wore during the 1996 NBA Playoffs as he helped lead the Chicago Bulls to a 4th NBA championship, which put the cherry on top of a legendary season.
While I won’t waste much time getting involved in how the shoes look, or how they performed on the court, it’s a safe bet to assume that Scottie Pippen was one of the small few retired professional athletes (like Jordan, Barkley, Penny, Payton, Ken Griffey Jr.) to actually have a non-retro shoe released after his playing days were over, and that says alot about his legacy, and the respect that he received not only from the folks in Beaverton, OR, but from hoops junkies like myself across the globe.
Oh, and I’m tempted to get a pair of these new kicks to give them a run on the court too.
As told by hoops historian, fan, veteran player, and sneaker geek, B.C.
