My True Love Of Nike Air Force Ones

Hey, I’m Ri.

I’m a sneaker collector, most people call us Sneakerheads. I’ve been a “Sneakerhead” for as long as I can remember. I started collecting and trading in my adulthood. My grandmother once said, “wear what’s most comfortable to you..” Well, dammit, true love, is shoe love, well Sneaker Love. It’s the comfort for me.

My earliest memory of sneakers would have to be Easter of 1990. I wanted the Nike Flight Trainers, Bo Jackson.

Now, I bet you’re thinking, what’s my favorite sneaker? The Nike Air Force One is the sneaker that made me a true Sneakerhead. This is my favorite sneaker. All white of course. Low, yes. Why this sneaker? It’s perfect, it goes with everything. A classic. The history alone should make you consider buying a pair.

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Named after the famous aircraft that carries our country’s leader. The AF1 was designed by Bruce Kilgore and introduced to the world, in my birth year, 1982. The Air Force 1 was the first basketball shoe to feature Nike Air technology, providing ankle support with soft, springy cushioning, transforming the game of basketball and the sneaker culture for years to come. Now I’m not a baller but that cushion, though.

The AF1 was discontinued in 1984 and re-released in 1986 with very few changes to date, the last one during its 25th Anniversary in 2007. The sneaker is sold in 5 different styles: low, mid, superlow, high, and super high. White on White and Black on Black being the most common colors sold. The AF1 has over 1700 colorways and is one of Nikes top-selling shoes. Let’s not forget the engraved AF1-82 medallion on the laces. It’s ICONIC.

1983: The “Original Six”
The high-top AF-1 was worn by Nike’s top NBA players of the era: Michael Cooper, Bobby Jones, Moses Malone, Calvin Natt, Mychal Thompson, and Jammal Wilkes.

In 2002, you heard the name in a song, Nelly and the St. Lunatics’, Air Force Ones, or in 2007, Classic by Kanye West, Nas, Rakim, and KRS- One. You may have spotted NBA ballers such as Jerry Stackhouse and Rasheed Wallace on the court. Or Jax Teller on the Sons of Anarchy, sporting White on White lows.

Depending on where you’re from, you refer to the sneaker by a different name. I’ve heard Ones, AF1, GNikes, Uptowns, White on White. No matter where you’re from, someone is rocking this sneaker.

Whatever you call them, whenever or wherever you first saw them first, they caught your eyes.

If you ain’t wearing a fresh pair of Ones, then what are you wearing? 😜