In early 2012, Nike was flying high in the sneaker game. Not only were Air Jordan Retros selling like crazy, but The Swoosh also had just come off releasing Kanye West’s famous Nike Air Yeezy and anticipation for Nike Air Yeezy 2 was at an all-time high. On the performance side of things, Nike Basketball and their partnership with Foot Locker on the House of Hoops branded stores had become one of the top spots to grab limited edition sneaker releases. One series of releases that turned out bigger than anyone could have imagined, and became a turning point for the entire sneaker world, was the 2012 release of the “Galaxy” themed NBA All-Star Weekend releases in February of 2012. The collection featured the now-iconic Nike Air Foamposite One, the LeBron 9, KD 4, Air Flight One, and Kobe 7, but it kicked off a whole new approach to thematic releases from Nike.
To this day, the “Galaxy” Nike Air Foamposite One is still sought after by collectors; pricing on resale platforms for the Galaxy Foams ranges from $1200 all the way up to $3500 in some sizes. The LeBron 9 “Big Bang” was selling for well above its original retail price before being re-released last year. The KD 4 was going for 3-4 times its original price. The Air Flight One was selling for about the same until recently. Last but not least, Kevin Durant’s “Galaxy” KD 4, arguably one of his most popular colorways and easily his most popular signature model, was also selling for similar resale prices. Although pricing for most “hype” releases will typically go up over time as less pairs are available on the resale market, the “Galaxy” pack has been the gold standard for hype since it first released, at least when it comes to non-collaboration sneaker releases.
Yet somehow, even with 10+ years of trying, Nike has struggled to consistently recreate the magic of 2012’s NBA All-Star releases. Sure, basketball sneakers in general have become way less popular, but the number of people that have embraced the way of the sneakerhead is exponential to what it was a decade ago. It would seem like a relatively small task to take some of the energy from shoes like the Air Jordan 1, Nike Dunk, or even collabs like Off-White and Travis Scott, and turn it into interest in basketball sneakers, in either new styles or retro form. Clearly, it’s not that easy. The readily available number of LeBron retros that are sitting in stores for below retail is proof. If all of the formulaic plans of attack aren’t working to bring interest back to the basketball footwear genre, it must be time for a hail mary attempt, and clearly the marketing teams at Nike Basketball agree.
The “Galaxy” Nike Air Foamposite One is rumored to re-release in 2024 alongside the “Galaxy” KD 4. If you would have asked any sneakerhead a decade ago if that was even possible, they would have laughed at you. Yet, here we are marking the calendar for next spring to be on the lookout for both of these releases. Only time will tell if this will breathe life into Nike’s basketball line, but for those that missed out on the first release, the excitement for a second chance at what many would consider “grails,” is something any sneakerhead can relate too.
