PJ Tucker is somewhere above the clouds, at 35,000 feet. He’s been flying non-stop for decades now, bouncing all over the world to follow wherever the ball takes him. The game gave him a gateway from Raleigh, NC to the rest of the planet. In Israel, history has become its own. Explorations in Italy and Greece yielded a list of his favorite foods. He became famous for his shopping exploits in Ukraine. He jumped off the court and onto a beach in Puerto Rico. They know his name all over the North American continent. Raptors fans love him. Suns fans respect him. Bucks fans adore him. He’s been on the move for a long, long time.
Our thoughts change as we travel. Giving yourself time and space to think while in the air allows ideas to form. Changing time zones and landscapes bring amazing feelings of inspiration. On these busy, busy days, we sit in our seats, look out or look up, and our minds wander. We are blessed to have physical transportation for our emotional transformations. Travels to different places make us different people. Creativity flows and new art emerges.
With all these years of adventuring, PJ discovered a way to pass on his long story.
The “Sky Blue” Nike Air Flight ’89 is inspired by the countless flights he took. “Flight PJ17” is on the heels, as this special livery takes its cue from the Boeing 777-300er, which flies through the azure blue skies where a daily transformation takes place. PJ went further, making just 472 pairs of them, a direct reference to the exact number of seats on the 777-300er.
PJ knows all about the sky, just like he knows all about sneakers. Choosing Flight 89 for this colorway shows how much he cares about staying true to his passion for rocking kicks that he personally loves. With a vast supply of more popular silhouettes at his disposal, he went for a deep cut, straight from Scottie Pippen’s legs.
Originally known as the Nike Air Flight Low, this silhouette dropped back in 1989. Some would say it is related to the Air Jordan IV due to its almost identical outsole and lace-lock system. Also, Tinker Hatfield (no stranger to long flights) designed this pair, as did AJIV. But whether it’s actually related to the IV or not, it goes down as an important piece of Nike basketball lore. A full leather upper sits atop, while a forefoot air unit and visible heel air unit cushioned Pip’s landings from acrobatic forays into the skies of Chicago Stadium.
Back in August we released PJ’s KICKS 26 cover. It is a good time to bring back this quote of his. “Sneakers help me emotionally in everything. Just the love of shoes keeps my mind off a lot of the stupid things I could be thinking about and doing. Love and work, especially now because we have a lot going on in sneakers, culture, fashion, everything. It’s something that allows my mind to cut through everything that’s going on around me. And I think different people have different things in their lives that over the years they kind of discover (themselves), you know, things that make you happy. You know, you make a garden in your backyard, whatever. Wednesday night bowling with your boys. Everybody’s got something, and sneakers (have) always been my kind of outlet for everything, where it’s just natural, and I just love it.”
