
Delving into the history of Michael Jordan, you may be surprised to find that even after landing a signature sneaker deal with Nike, the Bulls superstar would still rock inline models developed by The Swoosh (even if it was a rare occurrence). Looking at the 1987-88 season, MJ was entering his first full season since his injury the year prior, and his outlook on his Nike deal was grim as he had no affinity for the Air Jordan 2. Thankfully, that all changed once the Tinker Hatfield/MJ partnership began through the design of the Air Jordan 3; however, there was a moment in January 1988 when #23 took the court against the New York Knicks in a pair of Nike Air Alpha Forces. The model was never a massive success like his signature line or silhouettes like the AF1, but Nike wants to bring it back in OG form come 2023 with the Nike AAF88.
The model brings one back to 1988, taking on tech specs and design identical to the oft-forgotten silhouette. Like the Air Revolution, the AAF88 features a lockdown strap, though it comes on the vamp for this model. The toebox and collar come in white perforated leather. At the same time, we see various leather panels with tonal stitching details accented by colorful hits on the eyelets and corduroy collar and via the Swoosh branding on the midfoot. An Air Alpha Force branded logo with a basketball graphic adorning the center sits atop the white tongue. Piping around panels on the model's rear and the sockliner complete the upper. At the same time, a familiar-looking tri-tone midsole features an encapsulated Air unit in the heel and a rubber outsole in the same combo of colors.
With this model's return, we're expected to see many GR colorways and a few SP releases to ring in its revival. The OG White University Red and a new Light Bone colorway are set to release, while three SP colorways will hit the scene: White Venom Green, White Fire Red, and White Black. Billie Eilish will be collaborating with all three of these colorways.
The Nike AAF88 will return in a variety of colorways throughout the summer and fall of this year. Available in men's sizing, the pair will retail for $130 or $140 depending on the colorway. Pairs will be available through Nike and select retailers online and in-store. Keep it locked to our Twitter and the Sole Retriever mobile app to stay updated on the latest news, releases, raffles, and more in the sneaker world as we head into 2023.
Images via Nike

Nike AAF88 White University Red
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Nike AAF88 Light Bone
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Billie Eilish x Nike AAF88 SP White Fire Red
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Billie Eilish x Nike AAF88 SP White Black
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Nike AAF88 White Neutral Grey
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Nike AAF88 Black Guava Ice
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Billie Eilish x Nike AAF88 SP Triple Red
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Billie Eilish x Nike AAF88 SP White Venom Green
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Nike AAF88 Red Stardust
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Nike AAF88 Medium Grey Sea Glass
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Nike AAF88 White Game Royal
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White/University Red-Black-Neutral Grey
DZ4627-100
December 1, 2023
$140

Light Bone/Light Bone-Coconut Milk-Cobblestone-Orange
FN6594-001
August 31, 2023
$130

White/Fire Red-Black-Neutral Grey
DZ6763-101
August 8, 2023
$130

White/Black-Neutral Grey
DZ6763-102
August 8, 2023
$130

White/Neutral Grey-Black-Tech Grey-Orange
DZ4627-101
October 30, 2023
$140

Black/Black-Guava Ice-Orange
FN6594-002
November 2, 2023
$130

White/Venom Green
DZ6763-100
TBD
$130

Fire Red/Fire Red-Fire Red
DZ6763-600
TBD
$130

Red Stardust/Red Stardust-Sanddrift-Black
FJ4184-600
TBD
$140

Medium Grey/Medium Grey-Sea Glass-Black
FJ4184-001
TBD
$140

White/Game Royal-Black-Photon Dust-Cosmic Clay
FN6245-100
TBD
$140