Vintage 1987 Nike Air Force 2 Basketball Shoes: Why These Are My Favorite Of All Time

After a frustrating search for new basketball shoes, I started reminiscing about the old Nike Air Force 2 basketball shoes I wore back in 9th grade (1987). They were by far the most comfortable shoe I have ever worn. Perhaps, my memory has faded, but I have said for years that I would buy them again if Nike ever decided to start making them again. Here are the 3 things you will get from this article:

1. History of the 1987 Nike Air Force 2 basketball shoes and why I loved them.
2. A timeline of the Nike Air technology to help you find the right pair of shoes for today.
3. My deep dive into Nike’s current basketball shoe lineup to find the next best thing to those Air Force 2s.

I am a creature of habit and once I find a pair of shoes I like, I keep buying the same pair until I can’t find them any longer. Most recently, it was the Nike Hyperdunk Zoom, which I would like to think is a descendant of those original shoes I loved back in 1987. After 3 pairs and having to pay a premium for my last pair since they were discontinued, I went on a deep dive to find out if Nike has decided to remake the vintage pair of Air Force 2 after the resurgence of the Air Force 1 line of shoes.

I found the Nike Hyperdunk X EP special edition shoes (2018) pictured above on KicksCrew.com. They mark the 10th anniversary of the basketball sneaker with the Nike Zoom Air cushioning in the heel and forefoot. These were listed at $193.00. It kills me to pay a premium, but they have a size 13 so I have to consider it.

History Of Nike Air Force 2 Basketball Shoes

The Nike Air Force 2 basketball shoes were first released in 1987 as a successor to the popular Air Force 1 model. The Air Force 2 featured a similar silhouette to its predecessor but with updated materials and technology.

The upper of the Air Force 2 was made of a combination of leather and synthetic materials for durability and support. The shoes also featured a padded collar and tongue for added comfort and ankle support. Unlike today, the Nike swoosh was prominently displayed on the side of the shoes (no backward swooshes or futuristic-looking designs).

The feature I loved about the Air Force 2 was its air cushioning technology. The air cushioning seemed to provide better shock absorption and overall comfort than any other shoes I had worn up to that point. Pony’s in 7th grade and New Balance in 8th as I recall.

The Air Force 2 was initially released in a variety of colorways, including white, black, and red. I had the black that looked a little more charcoal to me than black. The shoes became popular among basketball players and sneaker enthusiasts and have become a classic and sought-after model in the Nike archive. A nonbasketball player friend of mine bought them initially and convinced me to pay up and get a pair. I know I had to mow a lot of lawns to afford them. I think they were somewhere between $45.00 and $60.00 which was a ton of money for a 15-year-old back in 1987 (minimum wage was 3.35 an hour).

Nike Basketball Shoe Air Technology Timeline

I found this video that gives you a good look at the shoes and the narrator comments that these were originally called “Air Force Highs”. 16 minutes may be a bit much, but it gives you an all-around view of this well-preserved pair. If I am doing the math right, these were about 36 years old when this was filmed.

Video Of Vingage Pair of Nike Air Force 2 Basketball Shoes

Search For The Next Generation Air Force 2 Basketball Shoes

I did find a vintage shoe site called GOAT.COM that had a great variety of the original Air Force 2 High shoes. Of course, most of them are used, and finding a size 13 narrows the selection dramatically. But, I did find one that fit my specs. They were $189.00 and I don’t think I would be willing to actually wear them to play. Not a great colorway, but I will definitely keep looking for the right pair to come up on that site.

So my search continues and I am going to turn my attention to new Nike shoes that still use a similar cushion technology. If I am going to follow the family tree we go from the Air Force 2’s and then to the Nike Zoom Air technology that was in my beloved Nike Zoom Hyperdunks. You would think it would be as easy as doing a search and filter on the Nike.com site. If you sort by the Technology filter you have the following options (If you click the links below it will do the filtering for you and take you to Nike.com):

• Nike Zoom Air
• Nike Max Air
• Nike Air

The search functionality on Nike.com is frustrating at best. You would think they would have the same shoes that are available at Dicks Sporting Goods, Foot Locker, Eastbay (Now Champs Sports), or other retailers. But, they don’t. In some cases, the other retailers have more selection.

Before we start the search, let’s set the criteria for my search.

1. I am looking for something with Air technology.
2. I don’t trust any shoe that costs under 100 dollars (I may be wrong here but that is my criteria).
3. The more conservative the better and no reverse swooshes if it can be avoided (some of these shoes now look like futuristic moon boots).
4. I want to stay under $150.00 per pair if I can.

Now let’s walk through my search on the Nike.com site by filtering by each Air technology.

Nike Zoom Air

This search gave me the most results. However, once I took out shoes under $100 dollars and over $150 it narrowed the field to a manageable number of shoes. Here are the Nike Zoom Air shoes I considered.

KD15 Basketball Shoes

I tried these Kevin Durant branded basketball shoes on two different times at a Foot Locker. I liked them but I just couldn’t pull the trigger at around $150. They were on sale the first time I tried them and were not the second time. I hate not getting a deal and I wasn’t super happy with the colorway so I passed.

I should have just bought the KD’s the first time. Out of frustration, about 3 weeks later, I finally ended up buying a pair of Giannis Immortality 2 shoes at Famous Footwear while shopping for basketball shoes for my 9-year-old son. I was just tired of searching and they looked pretty good, had my size, and I thought I was getting 50% off by buying a second pair (I found out Nike was excluded). They were around $80.00 (the reason for my over $100.00 criteria). I have them and play basketball in them, but they don’t have the Air technology and don’t absorb impact as well as I would like. They are not my long-term solution and why I am now doing this deep dive.

Nike Air Zoom G.T. Cut 2

I want to love these. I prefer a high or mid top and these are low, but I like the look of the shoe. Some of the colorways are over $150 but most are under. If I can find them in a retail store I will definitely try them on. The mid-tops are just ugly so I did not include them in my shortlist.

Air Jordan XXXVII Low

If I could find these in a better colorway I may consider them. But I wanted to shortlist at least one more pair under the Air Zoom category. The Zoom Freak 4 violated the backward swoosh criteria.

On paper, the Nike Air Zoom Flight 95 should be a contender. But, #1 they don’t even come up in the search when you filter for Zoom Air, and #2 this is exactly the moon boot-looking style I just don’t want to wear.

Nike Air

This search was pretty much a bust. A lot of the Zion 2 shoes are in this filter. But there are only about 4 pairs on the Nike site and they were all ugly in my opinion.

Nike Air Max

The interesting thing is that when you filter using “Basketball” and then “Nike Air Max” it says “We could not find anything for ‘Nike Zoom Basketball'”. The message doesn’t really make sense, but it then showed 3 shoes “you might be interested in”. Two of the three pairs made my shortlist. These were in the lower-end price range which always makes me a little nervous. But I liked the looks of them.

Nike Air Max Impact 4

These shoes had a more normal design compared to the Giannis shoes that I bought. It had a similar colorway and I would definitely try these on even though they are under my $100 threshold. Based on what I have read the Air Max technology has larger air compartments for better cushion but is also more likely to bottom out or otherwise not keep its air.

Nike Air Max Penny

These violate the over 150.00 rule and these are actually Air Max technology (although they don’t come up in the search). If I found these in a store at $170.00 I would try them on and consider them. I don’t think I would like the Max technology but I would give them a shot. I also scored once on Penny in a pickup basketball game at Gainey Village in Scottsdale Arizona back in the early 2000s (I just like to tell people that). But I repeat, it was only once. He didn’t have any of it after the first and only score of the game.

Nike Air Trainer SC High

As far as I can tell these are not Air Max technology, but they came up when I filtered using those criteria. However I got there, and I am glad I did. These are the shoes I want to wear. Yes, they take me back to my younger days when the Nike Cross Trainers were the rage. But I actually like the style of these and would want to wear them. What are the chances I will ever be able to find them in stock at a retail store? Not very likely, but these are on my shortlist.

Nike Air Flight Lite Mid

These also came up in the Air Max search, but these don’t appear to be Max technology. Again these came up in the “you might be interested in” list. If I could find a better colorway I would try these on. Just nice more simply designed shoes.

Conclusion and Resources For Nike Air Force 2 Basketball Shoes

I hope you found this information useful in your search. After spending 6 to 8 hours researching and writing this, I feel like I now know what Nike shoes to look at and what shoe lines align with Nike’s technology. It is a lot to sort out. I know I focused on Air technology primarily. But the React, Renew and Lunarlon may have to be completely separate articles. Good luck with your search!

I found the following articles helpful in doing my research on the history of the 1987 Nike Air Force 2 basketball shoes as well as the history of Nike’s technology changes in general.

Nike Sneaker History 1964-2017

The Brilliant But Absurd History of Nike Air Technology

Nike Air Max Timeline

Nike Launches New Basketball Footwear System Focused On Specific Movements

Nike Basketball Shoe Technology: A Go To Guide

From Chuck Taylor To Lebron: Yeat by Year Evolution of NBA Sneakers

Best Nike Basketball Shoes

Troy Wallace

Troy Wallace is Certified Basketball Speed Specialist and shares his experiences in trying to stay as healthy as possible to stay on the court. He is active in coaching youth basketball in YMCA, Team Work Sports Nebraska, and, currently, in the Jr. Warriors program in Omaha, NE. Visit Troy's Full Author Bio Page or email him directly.

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