Ken Griffey Jr.’s Sneaker Tribute To Jackie Robinson Day Launches Tomorrow

Sneaker News April 23, 2021

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Ken Griffey Jr. has been retired from professional baseball for 11 years, but he continues being a source of inspiration for the game. Before the Pennsylvania-native shared his sweet swing with the world, Jackie Robinson cemented Black athletes’ presence in Major League Baseball (MLB). Tomorrow, “the Kid” commemorates the Brooklyn Dodgers-legends with the Nike Air Griffey Max 1 “42”.

At a glance, the forthcoming pair is ostensibly a more-versatile take on Griffey Jr.’s signature sneaker, but closer inspection reveals special detailing. For starters, the former Seattle Mariner’s own “24” is replaced by Robinson’s “42” on the ankle strap. The same lockdown solution dons one of the pioneer’s most prolific quotes, which has been alluded to throughout the last month given on-going injustice faced by non-Whites in the country: “There’s not an American in this country free until every one of us is free.” Right shoes don a different, yet equally powerful message: “A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.” By commemorating Robinson through his iconic Air Max-cushioned sneaker, Griffey Jr. is furthering his and the legacies of Black players before him.

Enjoy detailed imagery of the commemorative Air Griffey Max 1 here below, as you wait to secure your pair tomorrow, April 24th, via Nike SNKRS.

Elsewhere under the NIKE, Inc. umbrella, the Luka Dončić Air Jordan 35 Low has recently emerged in official images, suggesting a release is on the horizon.