September 28th, 2012 by John K.
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NIKE BASKETBALL 1990′s WEEK
Finishing off this week’s focus on some of most unforgettable 1990′s Nike Basketball Classics is perhaps one of the most controversial sneakers of all-time – the Nike Air Bakin’. Falling in one of the best years of Nike Hoops of that decade (1997, which spawned the Air Foamposite One, Zoom Flight Five, and the Air Jordan XII), the Air Bakin’ was a visual standout with the uniquely place waves that adorned the upper and the funky Black/Red/Yellow colorway (there was also a lesser-known Black/Royal version). The shoe was popular among speedy guards – particularly Tim Hardaway, who was known for one of the quickest first-steps in NBA history – but the Bakin’ has a place in sneakerhead history for a whole different reason.
What makes the Nike Air Bakin’ such a sizzling story is the controversy that arose from the fiery logo on the heel; it was the word ‘Air’ designed in a fiery motif, but backlash from the Muslim community for its slight resemblance to ‘Allah’ in Arabic text forced Nike to recall the shoes and re-release with a basic Nike Air logo. Not only was this a high-performer, but also a scintillating story that is still recalled today. More of the Bakin’ after the jump, so take a look and let us know if you think there’s any real controversy behind the Air logo, and stay tuned to next week’s new batch of Classics Revisited!
Nike Air Bakin’
1997
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April 19th, 2012 by John K.
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While Penny Hardaway has been continually praised as one of the most influential basketball players to the sneaker game, some might argue that he wasn’t the best Hardaway of the 90′s basketball era. That honor could go to Tim Hardaway, one of the masters of the crossover and originator of the UTEP two-step. Tim was one of the rare breeds of “high-scoring true point guard”, because he dished it out as easily as he poured it in, earning 1st-Team All-NBA honors while amassing impressive yearly totals that floated around 20 and 9 a game in his prime. While the Tim Hardaway line wasn’t nearly as celebrated as the Air Penny, Nike Basketball fans still give certain shoes like the Zoom T-Bug as much weight as Penny’s kicks, but today we’re looking at one of the rarer PEs from Nike’s stash – an Air Bakin’ with Timmy’s ’10′ embroidered on the heel pull-tabs and ‘MEE’ (a tribute to his grandmother) on the heels. In addition, these have the infamous ‘AIR’ logo on the tongue, which we resulted in Nike pulling the Bakin’ from the stores after the controversy over the stylized font. We’ve got a detailed look at this vintage gem below so take a look below and if you want to cop this collectible for under $200, peep the auction from comradess on eBay.
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September 8th, 2011 by Aaron Hope
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On the heels of our first look at an intense all-Varsity Red Air Max2 CB ’94 comes another House of Hoops exclusive from Nike Sportswear representing a midly controversial chapter in the history of ’90s basketball. The Nike Air Bakin’ pictured above features a pinkish red shade only on select accents but is linked with the CB ’94s thanks to the use of a ripstop nylon underlay. On the Air Bakins, the blue base layer stands out strongly, peeking through the vented black overlay for a finished product not all too dissimilar from the Air Jordan 1 Phat and Trunner LX ’11 grade school/girls drops we showed you earlier this morning. These will prove much more difficult to procure, so be sure to stick with Sneaker News for updates and in the meantime, check out some more images after the jump. via Outnumber
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