Nike Air Command Force – Sneaker Year: 1991 – Discontinued

Arguably the most iconic sneaker to come out of the movie, but 30 years on from the release of White Men Can’t Jump and the Air Command Force are probably more desirable now with sneaker freaks than they were with the players back in the day. They are a high hightop and have a very distinctive silhouette compared to both current sneakers and also many back when they were released. This is probably why Billy Hoyle rocked them as part of his hustle, as they were no where near as cool/popular as Air Jordans of that era! David Robinson’s signature shoe had to wait 23 years to be retroed and over the year that followed Nike released them in 6 different colour ways, even if the Billy Hoyle colour way wasn’t to your taste – one of the other 5 should hit the spot. Unfortunately these are no longer on general sale.

Nike Air Flight Lite – Sneaker Year: 1991 – Currently on sale

Unlike Billy, for Sidney Deane it was more about how both he and his game looked – a stark contrast to Billy and his (purposefully) goofy style – even if sometimes it cost Sidney the final result. Luckily the Nike Air Flight Lite was a very modern silhouette of sneaker, fashioned at the time by Scottie Pippen during the Chicago Bulls first title run and some of the original Dream Team. These almost timeless classics had to wait a little longer than Billy’s to be retroed – September 2021 almost 30 years after theirs and the films original release. Currently on sale around the globe in multiple colour ways.

Available from:

Size in the UK.

Air Jordan VI – Sneaker Year: 1991 – Currently on sale

The Jordan VI has a solid foundation in my memories of Jordans, it’s the first ever pair I remember from the school playground – until that point they were just something I had seen only on TV. The VI also had a style departure from the Jordans that preceded them and other sneakers of the time to be honest, in my eyes this is when Jordan started the journey in becoming its own brand, carving its own identity in the sports fashion world. So it’s no surprise this style appealed to Sidney Deane, this time around though it was his offspring that we see rocking a pair of White/Maroon baby Js. This isn’t the only time in the film we get to see the iconic VI’s, Kadeem Harrison’s character Junior was also bang up to date with his sneaker choice. Choosing arguably the most recognisable colour way in Black/Infrared – coincidentally the same that my old classmate rocked in 1991 – Junior was emulating Michael Jordan in more ways than one. Paired with Chicago Bulls Away/Red Jersey – there was no mistaking who Junior was such a big fan of. Many of Nike/Jordan’s recent styling cues like Translucent soles and the Visible Air bubbles were included in the VI along with the new twin finger holes on the tongue which allowed for a quicker pull on these sleeker looking Jordans. These are probably in my Top 3 most recognisable Jordans of all time.