Classics Revisited: Nike Air Solo Flight ’90

Since 1987, the league was dominated by bulging big men who made a living banging down low, throwing gritty elbows and getting involved in punishing close-quarters combat in the paint. There was no room for the smaller guys. Literally. But as the years went on, a growing number of players reliant on speed, agility, and high-flying maneuverability commenced their aerial attack and blossomed into a formidable opponent to those who pledged their allegiance to the Force. In 1989, Nike introduced the Flight series, which created a polemic divide; thusly, the Force vs. Flight rivalry was born, paving the way for Nike Basketball over the next decade.

Nike released three Flight models during its flagship year of 1989, with the second generation of Flight introduced just a year later. The Nike Air Solo Flight ’90 was one of the aboriginal Nike Flight models; it featured a solid rubber outsole with built-in flex grooves that did not feature a visible Air unit unlike its accomplice, the Nike Air Flight. What the Air Solo Flight ’90 did feature was a stitched label on the inside of the tongue, which happens to be a defining feature of the Air Jordan IV. The Nike Air Solo Flight ’90 was the weapon of choice for many NBA swingmen of that year, and today, the classic Flight shoe has firmly established its place in Nike Basketball history.