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Unbounded.
Welcome to today’s edition of Nice Kicks’ Throwback Thursday. The 1990s was truly a “bigger than life” time. A technological and cultural revolution was well underway which saw sneakers assume a much larger role than just footwear.
Rather, sneakers served as an extension of one’s personality and style of play, of which its designs, patterns, and colorways served to reflect and pay tribute to the nuances and culture. A sneaker which held an important role in helping shape Nike’s basketball footwear dominance in the early ’90s was the Nike Air Bound, a sneaker which ushered in a new era of lightweight, responsive basketball sneakers.
A follow-up to the Nike Air Flight ’89, the Air Bound set a precedent from both a performance and aesthetic standpoint. While basic in design and technology as compared to other signature sneakers like the Air Jordan 6 and Air Flight Lite, the Air Bound nonetheless served as a staple in mid-90s Nike basketball footwear, worn on court by Scottie Pippen and Chris Mullin.
Following the success of the first edition of the Air Bound, a subsequent version which debuted the following year featured subtle refinements including a revamped Flight logo, full grain leather and synthetic upper, visible heel air sole unit, worn on court by many NBA guards including Reggie Miller, John Starks and Jeff Hornacek.
Also of note, Tim Hardaway and Terry Porter wore the Air Bound in the white/fire red-black colorway in the 1993 NBA All-Star Game in Salt Lake City. In 1993, Nike created a comic series which featured several prominent basketball models including the Nike Air Force Max, Dynamic Flight, Air Force Mid and High, and the Air Bound, the latter which featured Tim Hardaway.
Finally, Brett Favre wore the Air Bound during his playing days in Green Bay, illustrating the true versatility of the Air Bound as both a basketball and turf training sneaker.
Simply put, the Air Bound served as one of the signature, quintessential Nike basketball sneakers of the classic 90s era, an excellent example of Nike Flight at its very best.
In 2003, the Air Bound received the retro treatment; however, absolutely nothing compares to the original with its multitude of bright, bold colors and high quality construction.
The Flight Dimension lives on.
