Any Michael Jordan fan can tell you a thousand stories about his shoes. However, there is one story that is still not understood 35 years later. The main characters are the Nike Alpha Force, Michael Jordan and a mystery.
Michael Jordan’s partnership with Nike was renewed in 1988. According to legend and Michael himself, the turning point came when Tinker Hatfield showed him sketches of the shoe he was working on, the Jordan III. Due to time constraints, the Jordan I was designed without Michael’s direct input, and the Jordan II was developed in Italy, so the Jordan III would be the first shoe that responded directly to his needs. The Elephant Print or Jumpman on the tongue were already in the early sketches, and the result had such an impact on Michael that it was the key to him staying with Nike for the rest of his life. Since then, the Jordan III has been one of his favourite models, along with the Jordan XI.
The first pair of Jordan IIIs hit the shops in February 1988, just in time for the All Star Game in Chicago. It was the almost official debut of the Jordan III, the shoe that helped Michael win the dunk contest and become the game’s MVP. However, Michael wore the Jordan IIIs before they were officially unveiled. Strangest of all, Jordan had traded in the Jordan IIIs for a Nike Alpha Force a few weeks earlier. Jordan preferred the Alpha Force for at least three games against the Knicks, Bucks, and Nets. Nobody offered a conclusive explanation, which increased the air of mystery surrounding it.
That is not all. Michael had several pairs of Alpha Force in the locker room during the All-Star Game in Chicago, possibly as a last-minute optioHe eventually played in Jordan III Black Cement and established a tradition of wearing black shoes to All-Star games, but the presence of those Alpha’s in the locker room raised too many questions.
Did he want to play in them? Was there something of those Alpha’s in his Jordan III’s? Why did Michael play in a shoe that wasn’t designed for him? The strangeness of the event can be explained by one fact: he only did it once more in his career, during the third game of the series against the Orlando Magic in 1995, when he was fined for wearing a Jordan XI in a different colour than the rest of the team and chose a Nike Air Flight One instead.
The Alpha Force, however, made brief appearances throughout Michael’s career in unexpected places, such as a commercial here and a public appearance with his mother there. Even the Alpha Force’s design was incorporated into the Jordan Legacy 312, a shoe that was meant to combine elements from Jordan I, II, and III.
The Nike Alpha Force was already a favourite of many of the game’s top players. The textured and micro-perforated leather, adjustable strap, shock-absorbing Air technology, and embroidered logo made the Air Alpha Force one of the most sought-after models of 1988. And so they’re back in 2023, obviously in the Bulls’ colours. Michael’s mysterious appearance with them is the icing on the cake for the Nike Air Alpha Force to return as a legend. And fuel their mystery.
Nike Air Alpha Force 88 “Chicago”, available from 15 July at FOOTDISTRICT.
