words & image // Zack Schlemmer
In 1998 Nike debuted Scottie Pippen's second signature shoe: the Air Pippen II. Following the success of his first shoe, Scottie opted to go with a sleeker design cushioned by Zoom Air instead of Max Air. (Unhappy with the Max Air in his first model, he actually switched to a customized Zoom Air version while wearing the Pippen I.)
We get up close and personal with Pipp's nose and the Air Pippen II in this awesome two page ad from 1998. As the ad describes, the Air Pippen II featured a sleek design with a full grain leather upper, Dynamic-fit inner sleeve, reinforced support wing and Zoom Air cushioning.
After a mid 90's dominated by heavy, clunky Air Max models from Nike Basketball, the Pippen II helped lead the way for sleeker and lower-to-the-ground designs like the Alpha Project models in the coming years. Based on all-around performance and aesthetics, the Pippen II is without a doubt Scottie's best signature model.
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