The drop at a glance
| Release date | September 25, 2026 |
| Retail price | $170 |
| Style code | FV2291-001 |
| Colorway | Black nubuck / white AIR lettering / jeweled heel Swoosh |
| Where | Nike.com, SNKRS + Foot Locker, Finish Line, DTLR |
The story
No shoe screams mid-90s Nike louder than the Air More Uptempo. Designer Wilson Smith III took graffiti-scale typography and stamped 'AIR' across the entire lateral side — a risk that became a legend when Scottie Pippen wore it through the Bulls' record 72-10 championship season and the 1996 Olympics.
This is the OG Black/White colorway in its most faithful modern form: OG-accurate construction, black nubuck upper, white outlined AIR lettering, jeweled Swoosh on the heel.
The Uptempo cycles between dormant and dominant; its last OG run proved demand snaps back fast. As a wide release it won't resell big day one, but OG pairs historically sell through fully and appreciate once stock dries up.
The deep cuts
- Wilson Smith III trained as an architect at the University of Oregon and worked at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill's Portland office before Nike pulled him into footwear in 1986.
- He is recognized as the athletic footwear industry's first Black shoe designer.
- Smith built the graphic around the full-length Air bag — flipping the 'AIR' direction on the medial side — drawing on mid-90s pop art, subway graffiti and one of his old architecture projects.
- Pippen called it a 'graffiti shoe' and thought it stood out more than the Air Jordan 11; Nike has since honored Smith with 'Thank You, Wilson' Uptempo editions.
How to cop
- Launch draw — enter the minute it opens; the raffle button above takes you there.
- Retailer raffles — the big accounts open entries in the days before the drop.
- Miss it? The buy links on this page route to the marketplaces we trust.
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