Nike is paying homage to its 25-year history with Baseball Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. by releasing a four-shoe pack inspired by Griffey Jr.’s legacy and on-field feats. The pack’s silhouettes include Griffey’s own Air Griffey Max 1 (which is celebrating its 25th anniversary) plus Nike Sportswear standouts like the Air Max 90, Air Force 1 Low and Air VaporMax Plus, each of which spotlights a different piece of or highlight from The Kid’s storied career. First to the plate is the Air Griffey Max 1. Griffey’s first signature silhouette, it nods to his sweet left handed swing with pops of flair like golden accents on the forefoot Swoosh, a Seattle Mariners-esque teal mudguard, red baseball stitching, a red “Swingman” graphic on the tongue tab, bat-inspired wood grain detailing on the heel and — most directly — a “The Sweetest Swing” text hit on the insoles. Batting second is the Air Max 90, which uses grin-inducing graphics to salute The Kid’s love of wearing his hat backwards. Griffey’s #24 appears below a backwards Mariners cap on both the tongue tag and the insoles, while a baseball-style stitched seam appears under the collar and a large Swoosh is present on the lateral forefoot. The upper’s base is even made of a white polyester-like material that nods to baseball jerseys.Hitting third is the low-top Air Force 1, which draws from the time Griffey spent on the field with his father: both took the outfield for the Mariners on August 31, 1990, the first time a father and son ever played together in the big leagues. The left shoe is all about Jr., with his #24 on the lateral heel plus Swooshed “Jr” hits on the insole and heel tab alike. The right shoe is all Sr., with the elder Ken Griffey’s #30 on the heel and Swooshed “Sr” heel and insole hits. Shared details like gold lace deubres, baseball stitching on the rear seam and forefoot Swooshes round things off.In the cleanup spot is the Air VaporMax Plus. A modernized take on the beloved Air Max Plus that adds a VaporMax cushioning unit, it’s inspired by Griffey Jr.’s legendary “Spiderman” catch from May 25, 1991 in which he flung himself into the wall to catch a deep fly ball. Printed white and black graphic are featured on its synthetic upper, sitting above a jet black VaporMax cushioning unit. There’s also a “24” hit on the insoles surrounded by spider webs, baseball stitch detailing and “Jr” embellishments on the heel tabs.Look for all four shoes from the Nike Ken Griffey Jr. collection to release on the Nike webstore come June 25. MSRPs range from $110 USD to $210 USD.Another incredible Nike, Inc. athlete recently had a moment: Michael Jordan, whose Air Jordan 1 is now protected from counterfeiters thanks to federal trademark protection from the USPTO. Click here to view full gallery at HYPEBEAST
