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Watch your head when you leave the store.
Welcome to this newest edition of Nice Kicks’s Throwback Thursday. Now that the new NBA season is fully underway, it is only appropriate to pay tribute to the previous era and generation of players in a game which, like the sneaker industry, design, and technology, has continued to develop, evolve, and grow over time. Today we pay tribute to an extremely underrated and rarely discussed mid-1990s Nike basketball forgotten gem: the 1997 Nike Air Winged Flight.
With an original production date range of 2-4/1997 (inside tag reads 970204ID), the Winged Flight saw a great deal of action on court and was worn by several NBA guards including Allan Houston, Charlie Ward, and Chris Childs of the Knicks; Derek Harper of the Magic; and Travis Best of the Pacers, during the 1996/1997 and 1997/1998 NBA seasons.
Upon initial glance, one will notice that the Winged Flight is a takedown of the 1997 Nike Air Hawk Flight, the signature sneaker of Gary Payton. Featuring a full grain and synthetic leather upper, patent leather accents, full-length phylon midsole, encapsulated heel air sole unit, TPU midfoot shank, Nike jewel technology, and a lightweight, low-key, simple yet aesthetically pleasing design, the Winged Flight debuted at a retail price of just $85 and was released in a variety of colorways including the white/midnight navy-black colorway seen here.
Fresno State point guard Rafer Alston also wore this exact model and colorway when he graced the cover of Slam Magazine’s December 1997 issue giving the Winged Flight additional visibility in the sneaker community before the days of digital media and mobile technology.
This often overlooked model has yet to receive the retro treatment by Nike, and is unlikely to do so in the foreseeable future. Nonetheless, let’s take a moment to recognize, respect, appreciate, and remember this underrated classic 90s Nike basketball silhouette that is pleasing to both the eye and wallet as well. Yet another product of the Nike golden era.
