Brendan Dunne 
Today’s official unveiling of the Air Jordan XX8 was a top secret event by all accounts, with industry folks tight lipped about what exactly the sneaker media should expect going into their exclusive set up in midtown Manhattan today. As folks from the blogosphere filtered into the dimly lit room, things became more and more apparent. Jordan Brand president Larry Miller kicked things off, bringing out the one and only Spike Lee to get things started, with Carmelo Anthony eventually taking to the stage as well to talk the game of hoops with Mars Blackmon himself. After that portion wrapped up, attendees were ushered upstairs via freight elevator to see what Jordan Brand had in store next. Once the crowd was made to converge, following the endless ogling of the Air Jordan ‘Blackout Collection’ display, a projection played on the walls of the room, the massive doors at the center broke away, and there it was: the Air Jordan XX8. Spike Lee again picked up the narrative from there, rapping with Air Jordan architect and sneaker design guru Tinker Hatfield along with project designer Josh Heard about the new model.
After the two tossed around design specs and stories of Michael Jordan’s newfound affinity for the forthcoming model, yet another superstar emerged, with Russell Westbrook sauntering up on stage and announcing that he’d be debuting the Air Jordan XX8 in tomorrow night’s Oklahoma City Thunder/Brooklyn Nets match. The Air Jordan XX8 remained the obvious topic of the conversation for the evening, with the likes of Hatfield, Heard, and Westbrook all sitting down for interviews regarding the new model. Tinker told of the Nike SFB style aesthetic, wearing a sleek pair of the boots himself to convey the high-ankle, straight-cut military inspired designed. He even busted out his phone for a minute to relay a text convo between him and MJ on the upcoming design. Later on, Russell Westbrook would talk of his eagerness to become the flag bearer for the Air Jordan legacy, promising some special colorways following tomorrow night’s on-foot debut of the shoe. Hit the jump with Sneaker News for a full photo breakdown from the exciting Air Jordan XX8 ‘Dare To Fly’ media event and join the conversation on the 2013 model in the comments below.
