The Air Force 1 is a 1982 basketball shoe that stopped being a basketball shoe and became the default. It is the best-selling sneaker ever made, and almost none of that came from the court.
What it actually is
Designed by Bruce Kilgore, it was the first basketball shoe with Nike Air cushioning — an encapsulated air unit in the heel, which is still there. The tooling has barely changed: perforated toe box, pivot circle on the outsole, thick foxing tape around the midsole, and a heel tab that says AIR.
Nike discontinued it in 1984. Retailers in Baltimore kept ordering it anyway, and it came back and never left.
How it should fit
It runs about half a size large. Most people should size down half a size from their running-shoe size, unless they have wide feet or wear thick socks. Does the Air Force 1 run big covers the exceptions properly.
Low, mid, high
The Low is what most people mean and what most people should buy. The Mid adds a padded strap over the ankle. The High is the original silhouette and the least forgiving to wear with anything slim.
Choosing between this and a Dunk? The Dunk is flatter, firmer and narrower, with no air unit underfoot — the Dunk Low Panda, explained sets the two against each other.
Colourways worth knowing
- Triple White. The default. Goes with everything, shows everything, and is why cleaning white sneakers properly is a skill worth having.
- Black / White. The quiet one. Black leather with a contrast Swoosh, far more forgiving day to day.
- Triple Black. All black, including the sole.
Living with one
White leather creases and white rubber yellows — both are normal and neither is damage. Slow them down with shoe trees and by drying in shade rather than sun. See how to stop sneakers creasing and why soles turn yellow.
Buying one pre-loved
The AF1 is the most counterfeited sneaker in the world, so check before you buy from anyone: real or replica, checking an Air Force 1.
Every AF1 we list is genuine, cleaned, graded by hand and photographed as itself. See the Nike pairs in stock.