
Nike reaches into their vault to revisit an important but often overlooked subdivision of their basketball footwear history, the outdoor line. Created to make sure those that played basketball predominantly outside on hard, unforgiving asphalt had durable sneaker options, Nike began their outdoor-specific basketball line in 1992 with the birth of the Air Raid.

Designed by Tinker Hatfield and Mark Smith, the Air Raid became the first Nike basketball sneaker designed specifically for the blacktop, featuring a bold cross-strapped upper and extra durable outsole that was made entirely flat to ensure complete contact with the pavement. A landmark model in Nike Basketball history, the Air Raid was the brand’s first and still most iconic outdoor basketball sneaker ever.

Tinker Hatfield’s early sketches of the Air Raid, which was originally slated to be named the Air Jack.


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