Nike Basketball 1992-2012 – (1996) Air More Uptempo

Posted on August 1, 2012 by L&G

It is no surprise that I absolutely love the mid-90’s for sneakers.

Some would say, that the mid-90’s were the best ever time to be involved in the sneaker game. Take Wilson Smith for example, who has stated that the mid-90’s were “a bigger than-life-time” moment. Who the hell is Wilson Smith, and why does his opinion matter so much?

Well, to put it simply, Wilson is behind one of the greatest shoe designs of our time; The Nike Air More Uptempo. Sure, you might think that this shoe is super ugly, and you wouldn’t be seen dead in them, but I wore them when I played in an U16’s basketball competition where I grew up, and we won a championship in them. I place all that on the shoes.

These shoes are dead-set sick.

Now, we have Nike Basketball release their latest restrospective “20 Designs That Changed the Game”. In creating the Nike Air More Uptempo, Wilson took inspiration from graffiti and pop art, using the word “AIR” in giant letters on the medial side of the shoe to advertise the Nike Air that extended from the toe to the heel. Such a good feature, right? The abundant cushioning and lockdown support made the shoe ideal for the vertical player, making it the weapon of choice for not only Scottie Pippen, but L&G as well.

In addition to this, you can find out more about other essential models throughout Nike’s history in our RE-Fresh segment.