Aaron Hope 
Nike, and particularly the Sportswear division are notorious for their use of attention-grabbing storylines associated with sneaker releases that both provide a context for the colorway and add to the depth of the experience of copping or even researching a given shoe. They haven’t gone out and said as much with this new Nike Air Flight Maestro Plus, but longtime basketball fans will see the lines connecting even as you consider the connections between the original and this particular colorway. It was in 1993-94 that Scottie Pippen made the OG Air Maestro famous thanks to a superb regular season without Michael Jordan, and an appearance at the ’94 All Star Game Air an all-red pair that’s still one of the most talked about in ASG history. But just three months later, Pippen became furious over coach Phil Jackson’s play calling for Tony Kukoc to take the attempted game winner in game 2 of the Bulls’ Eastern Concourse Semifinal against the New York Knicks. It’s a kind of backhanded compliment to that season that turned out to be only full year MJ sat out in the mid ’90s, and also an inherently solid design that’s sure to draw its fair share of fans who don’t even know the irony. Click through to see more angles and expect these at select NSW retailers early next year. via SF
