We have seen how Nike took a gamble in signing up a rookie Michael Jordan for creating one of the world’s most renowned sneaker brands- the Air Jordans. Though the sales of Air Jordan colorways and silhouettes have been consistently high, Nike has realized that they cannot rely on Michael Jordan’s everlasting charisma alone to sell Air Jordan sneakers for men.
That’s why they are now collaborating with promising basketball players to launch new colorways of existing Air Jordan models. One example is Rui Hachimura, a promising Japanese-born NBA star playing for the Washington Wizards.
Rui is a Japanese professional basketball player with mixed Japanese-African heritage. He came to the US in 2015 to play college basketball for the Gonzaga Bulldogs. Eventually, he joined the Washington Wizards, becoming only the second Japanese to be drafted into the NBA.
A power forward, Rui is known to be the star player in the Washington Wizards. Considering his popularity in basketball both in the US and internationally, Nike first got him a player exclusive Air Jordan 36.
Now, Nike is taking the collaboration forward with a retro of the Air Jordan 8. This adds to the Air Jordan 8 collection of retros made in collaboration with leading sportsmen and celebrities. There are a lot of expectations from this colorway, especially considering Rui’s popularity in his home country of Japan and here in the US.
This retro Air Jordan 8 primarily comes in a brown color scheme. It comes with an upper with crackled leather patterns and overlays. On the tongue, you have a Japanese Kanji-inspired logo of the Samurai instead of the Jumpman logo. The shoe box comes with an illustration showing Rui slam-dunking while two defenders look on.
For those of you who want to pre-order sneakers, these kicks are scheduled to be dropped on the 24th of March.
Nike is doing all it can to increase sales after the pandemic. With the Asian market being one of the most important for Nike, the retro choice of Rui Hachimura proved to be strategic.
However, there is the threat of COVID-19 reemerging in various countries. Nike is making sure it can release trending sneakers for men to keep up the pace of sales both domestically and internationally.
Though Nike is conducting an online raffle for these shoes, the chances of you getting one of your sizes are slim. That’s why most people look for alternatives.
Some get them for a much higher price on the gray market, while others choose to buy from the Best Online sneaker Store.
Registering for your kicks here gives you a much better chance to get yourself a pair. What’s more, you can pay for your sneakers in 4 easy installments. Now, you can get your favorite retro/colorway without worrying about the price!
