The Air Force 1: The NBA’s signature basketball shoe from 1982

Taking a look back at the history of Nike’s Air Force 1, which was the NBA’s signature basketball shoe from the 1980s

SWOOSH. JUST DO IT. 

Sneakerheads, there’s something you have to understand: “The Air Force One,” is more than just a shoe.

That was the assumption in the early 1980s since it’s 1982 inception.

When Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight founded Nike in 1964; they had no idea that the “Air Force One” would be the “Air Force One” you see on everyone’s feet.

This was before “SWOOSH” and “JUST DO IT” became billionaire trademarks across the globe. But the “Air Force One” ended up becoming a trademark of its own. The shoe was produced in 1982 but was discontinued in 1984. Two years later, they were re-released, more refined, and better suited for the quintessential “hooper” or “fashion geek.” Subsequently, NBA players took the trend and mixed it with their own flavor.

Six NBA veterans played in the Air Force Ones after signing Nike deals. Moses Malone (Philadelphia 76ers), Mychal Thompson (Portland Trail Blazers), Jamal Wilkes (Los Angeles Lakers), Calvin Natt (Portland Trail Blazers), Bobby Jones ( Philadelphia 76ers), and Michael Cooper ( Los Angeles Lakers). Jerry Stackhouse and Rasheed Wallace wore them as well. The high-top’s we’re more popular during the 1990s. Players back then were satisfied with the comfort of the shoe. But there’s no comfort without architecture.

Bruce Kilgore, the architect, and mastermind behind the idea, created the “Air Force One” with Nike Air technology. It consists of pressurized air (nitrogen) inside of a tough flexible bag called the Nike Air-Sole Unit, according to Nike.com. Basically, the whole idea was to insert “air” inside of shoes for cushioning and comfort. In fact, the “Air Force 1” was Nike’s first basketball shoe that used ‘air’ for cushioning at the forefoot, midsole, and beneath the heel.

AIR + FASHION = TREND 

Throughout the years, Air Force One’s became the fashion trend in several areas including New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Houston, Detroit, St. Louis, and Los Angeles. Major cities with major style. Growing up in the Midwest; the first pair of kicks I owned that constituted the meaning of “cool” was the Air Force Ones. Specifically, the (white-on-white) pair. All of my friends had the all-white Air Force’s. We played basketball in them; wore them to house parties; you name it; we did it. Even the hip-hop industry started to take notice.

"“I said give me two pair, I need two pair, so I can get to stumpin’ in my Air Force Ones, big boy, stumpin’ in my Air Force Ones.”"

St. Louis Rapper Nelly, and his group the “St. Lunatics,” released their popular hit, “Air Force Ones,” in 2002. That’s when it became more than just a shoe. The melody permeated high school hallways across the country; including mine in Indiana. Everyone had them. It became the hottest fashion trend in the shoe game.

But the “shoe game” took a different route when the “Air Force One” changed how shoes were being purchased at various retailers. Why? Well, when you have multiple variations of anything; that usually means you have a bigger advantage in terms of revenue.

Capitalism. The shoe game. A collaborative relationship to gain revenue for the nation’s hottest shoe. That was Bruce Kilgore’s initial strategy at the time. To produce a shoe that would change the meaning of “cool” in America’s fashion culture. And he did it with an estimated 1,700 color variations and consequently grossed $800 million.

Again, the “Air Force One” is just like I described earlier; it’s more than a shoe. It’s similar to the popularity of the Jordan Retros. You know, the agitation that hits us from standing in line waiting for hours; Here’s the typical saying, “I gotta have em.” And sometimes that’s true for sneakerheads.

It’s a lifelong trend. A lifelong style that’s emboldened the fashion culture.

A shoe with style. A shoe with swag. The same shoe we used to have competitions with to see who was the FRESHEST in the building.

Of course, we have to thank Bruce Kilgore for the origin. Not just the origin, but the creation itself. Creation is inevitable.

In other words, JUST DO IT.