Before he got his own signature shoe line, there was no sneaker more famously associated with Scottie Pippen than the Nike Air More Uptempo. The shoe may even trump the six that beared his name, and a special edition will soon celebrate his role in popularizing the silhouette by replacing its iconic “Air” bubble text.

The Nike Air More Uptempo “Pip” sees Pippen’s nickname rendered in the same font as the original branding on the lateral side, while “Air” retains its place on the medial. Both text hits are rendered in off-white to pop against a treatment otherwise favoring black. A few other deviations arrive via matching off-white lace hooks and Air Max units, as well as an iridescent tongue logo. Inside, a multicolored gradient logo calls out the shoe’s 30th anniversary, and the heel also features unique “P” mark as another Pippen callout.

Pippen spent the first four years playing in Avia and switched over to Nike in 1991. Among the other Swoosh-branded shoes he played in before his signature line began were the Air Flight Huarache and Air Max Uptempo, and the Air More Uptempo was heightened by him wearing it for the Chicago Bulls’ historic 72-10 season and the 1996 Olympics.

Through the last 30 years, few other Nike Basketball sneakers have endured as well as well as the Air More Uptempo. Last year, Nike even paid homage to the shoe by replicating the “Air” text on the Vomero Premium, a running sneaker with a stack height higher than any other in its history.

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