Nike unveiled the Air Jordan XXXII and it’s spectacular

With obvious inspiration from the Air Jordan II, Nike’s Jordan Brand took a sharp turn from the Air Jordan XXXI and went back to what seems to always work best: familiarity.

The Air Jordan XXXII officially made its debut in Italy on Tuesday and anyone with a clue would be quick to notice the similarities to the Air Jordan II before reading a thing about it. And that was certainly no mistake, as Nike basically used the Jordan II as a foundation for what ultimately became what we have right here.

This one has been dubbed the Air Jordan XXXII “Rosso Corsa” (Italian for “racing red”):

To summarize this one succinctly, Jordan Brand wisely tugged on some nostalgia while also incorporating the latest and greatest in sneaker technology with the biggest difference seemingly being that this Jordan features a fly-knit upper, not the customary leather we’ve seen in the past.

Stay with us Eric, Nike wasn’t trying to pull one over on us.

A healthy combination of old and new is always a good thing. I’ll take that over Nike trying way, way too hard to please and, in turn, fall on their collective faces any day of the week. Let’s not pretend we haven’t seen that before.

From Jordan XXXII designer, Tate Kuerbis:

"“With Jordan shoes, we obsess the style in a way that puts many of the performance elements under the hood, so to speak. For example, I wanted to make the laces just disappear into the knit structure, but inside there is a whole harness system with webbing that really locks down your foot.”"

Based on that description it sounds like these will be the most comfortable Jordans on earth. The key though — for me at least — is that while the design structure sounds amazing for anyone actually playing basketball, it also works as a lifestyle shoe.

The AJ XXXI most certainly did not.

Here’s a look at the “Bred” version, which I’m guessing already has people frothing at the mouth.

A nice touch on both the “Rosso Corsa” and the “Bred” is the ribbing on the winged-looking sides.

Yes, there are precisely six for a reason: Riiiiiings.

From @BR_Kicks comes a few more looks at the sleek detail.

And finally, a look at the “Bred” low:

This is definitely the first time I can safely say I love the low, save for a couple versions of the Jordan XI. But losing the ribbed wings is a loss I simply cannot bear.

Next: The Air Jordan 1 x Derek Jeter RE2PECT Retro

According to Sole Collector, the “Rosso Corsa” is set to release on Sept. 23 and will go for $185. The “Bred” versions — both the mids and the lows — won’t release until Oct. 18, with the lows going for $160.

Your best bet might be to just flip a coin but if an all red look is simply too much to handle, it’s seriously impossible to go wrong with an all black Air Jordan mid that has an icy sole like the ones seen above.