This weekend Ken Griffey Jr. officially becomes a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Being inducted this Sunday, July 24th, “The Kid” that would become one of the most popular and beloved athletes the game of baseball has ever seen was a lock for a first-ballot entry, and actually broke the previous record held by Tom Seaver for the highest percentage of votes at 99.32 percent. When it comes to baseball, obviously few names are as heralded as Griffey’s. And when it comes to sneakers, his name is up there with the greatest and most iconic athletes closely associated with Nike throughout the years, ranking next to legends like Michael Jordan, Bo Jackson, and Andre Agassi in the brand’s history.
Just like Jordan, Bo, and Andre, Griffey also had his own signature line that is still celebrated today. Easily the most popular and most-retroed turf trainers ever, Junior’s signature Griffey Max baseball cross-training line began in 1996 with the Air Griffey Max 1. As we continue our Flashback to ’96 series, there could be no better sneaker to take a look at in the days before The Kid enters the Hall twenty years later. Read on as we recall the landmark training shoe, its on-field cleat counterpart, and of course, the Griffey in ’96 campaign.