Jovani Hernandez The Swoosh has produced football field-sized amounts of footwear product over the last 58 years. In that timeframe, the Oregon-based conglomerate has revisited its expansive archives to revive once-forgotten silhouettes. And while its efforts have proven successful with silhouettes like the Dunk High and Air Jordan 1, they’ve failed with regards to models like the Nike Team Convention.
A product of the mid-1980s, the Team Convention debuted around the same time Michael Jordan hit the NBA, providing a non-Nike-Air-donning, budget-friendlier high-top to hoopers everywhere (the shoe was priced at $45 USD, whereas #23’s first signature shoe sold at retail for $65 USD). The sneaker fell into obscurity relatively quickly, having only been produced between ’85 and ’86, but it developed a cult-following in Japan likely due to its similarity to the Nike Dunk and inaugural Air Jordan at a fraction of the cost.
Although the latest pair of Dunks features the Team Convention’s “NIKE” branding on the lateral ankle flap, the late Peter Moore’s iconic design boasts its standard construction. Perforations on the toe maintain their traditional pattern, just as the quarter panel keeps its familiar shape. Profile swooshes, which help create a “Panda” colorway, also opt for their original size. Underfoot, a yellowed midsole provides a “vintage” aesthetic to the High, further evoking the Nike Basketball proposition from decades past, but tread follows Moore’s 37-year-old guidelines. Abandoned, then, is the Air Force 1 (or Vandal High)-like outsole.
Enjoy official images of the pair ahead, and anticipate a Nike.com launch soon.
In related sneaker news, the LeBron 20 debuts on September 29th.
