This Nike Air Max Plus Nods To French Basketball

Upon releasing in 1998, the Nike Air Max Plus kept a relatively low profile across many global markets, though it became “the” shoe in certain parts across Europe. For its latest ensemble, Sean McDowell’s design is seemingly visiting France to commemorate its street culture by featuring the colors of its flag across its upper and sole unit.

Although the model, which introduced Tuned Air, debuted before the turn of the century, its newly-surfaced ensemble sports the numbers “9” and “3” on the right and left shoes’ tongues, respectively. When paired with the chain graphic printed atop the mesh base and the blue, white and red that takes over the “AIR” badge on the top of the tongue, it seems that Air Max-variant pays homage to an important event in France’s street culture or sport scene from 1993. (A quick search on the web suggests the event in question may be a basketball match between the French National Team and Nike All-Stars in ’93; several players from the U.S.-representing team ended up playing in the NBA.) The black and silver tones that take over much of the sneakers allow for the aforementioned components to revel that much more in the spotlight; the sole unit’s mostly-dark arrangement also emboldens the red and blue that animates the visible Air-cushioning underfoot and accompanying tread. Lastly, McDowell’s 24-year-old design maintains a series of reflective strips from toe to top of the tongue, allowing wearers to make a statement even under suboptimal lighting conditions.

No firm Nike.com release details have been disclosed by the brand, but that’s likely to change as the summer inches closer. In any case, enjoy official images of the pair ahead.

Elsewhere under the Swoosh umbrella, check out the Air Force 1 “Paris” expected to launch soon.

Images: Nike