John Kim 
The Nike Mac Attack of 1984 is less about the actual sneaker and more about the man who wore the shoe; by some definition, it is the ultimate signature shoe. The Mac Attack was a slap in the face of the conventional all-white designs that made up the bulk of tennis footwear, opting for a grim Light Silver/Black colorway and the checkerboard tongue label in a unique mid-cut design and complicated forefoot design. It was released in just two colorways, so like you would perceive McEnroe the player, you were either going to love or hate the shoe. As we all remember, Jon McEnroe’s top level of play was overshadowed by his temper tantrums, whiny attitude, and unfiltered vocabulary, but it was his jerk-like attitude that sorta paved the way for Nike’s direction of picking out its signature athletes – the Andre Agassis, Charles Barkleys, and the Dennis Rodmans of the pro-sports world.
McEnroe was a refreshing jolt of energy in a star-studded yet relatively well-behaved sport; the earliest ad posters for McEnroe depicted him as a “Rebel With A Cause”, donning dark trench coats or brown leather jackets with collars popped firmly. Since ’84, ‘The Mac’ was never re-issued in its original form, with the recent Nike Sportswear Manor being the closest of kin (it didn’t have a Swoosh and went with a simpler midsole/outsole). More of this incredible Classics Revisited piece below, so take a look and stay tuned for more as we’ll serve up some more Nike Tennis aces later this week.
Nike Mac Attack
Light Silver/Black
1984
Photos: pushing_weight on eBay
