KSM: Nike Zoom Flight '98

Welcome to this week's edition of KickStart Mondays!

Today we feature a classic that anyone who was playing ball back in the late 90's will remember. Today we'll be talking about the shoe that Gary Payton made famous, the Nike Zoom Flight'98 (aka "The Glove"). This shoe was first released back in 1998 under the "Flight" series but was renamed unofficially to "The Glove" by sneakerheads as a result of the player who rocked them on the court. Gary Payton who was also known as "The Glove" sported this sneaker during the height of his career and gained notiriety in this sneaker. Known to rock Jordan's on the court as well, GP came into his own on the Supersonics while rocking these kicks.

The sneaker which featured Zoom Air (most sneakers were rocking this technology in the late 90's) was housed under a very subtle upper to the naked eye. This marvel designed by Eric Avar sported a black neoprene upper with prominent swoosh placement on the toebox that really acted as a glove to the shoe. Under the zippered neoprene cover housed a "monkey paw" like design along the ankle area. The shoe which lay underneath was called the "exoskeleton" and was made primarily of mesh like material. The shoe itself was a hit and has never been retored since it's original release.

I have found memories of these sneakers since they came out while I was still in HS. I had a friend who owned a pair so i was able to see them up close and personal and really appreciated the unique design. What stood out most of this sneaker was the fact that Avar continued to leaverage the use of the human body in another sneaker (the first being the AM95).

I really love these sneakers and hope that Nike will bring them back out of the vault for those who didn't get a chance to own them during their original release.