Washington Wizard Rui Hachimura is no stranger to Jordan Brand collaborations, already having four different sneakers under his belt. While they’ve all tapped into his Japanese heritage with cherry blossom motifs, Japanese text, and his personal logo on modern silhouettes, his latest gives the athlete his first chance to deck out a pair of retro Js.
Take a closer look —
It’s been a couple of months since images of the Hachimura Air Jordan 8 first surfaced, but the shoe’s thoughtful details have made it worth the wait. Appearing in a beige color scheme, the base of the upper is dressed in a smooth “Sesame” shade, while the overlays appear in cracked leather. Bright red accents hit the tongue, heel tab, and part of the outsole.
Mementos to Hachimura’s home country of Japan can also be seen throughout the sneaker. The sockliner features the Jumpman surrounded by traditional Japanese art, while the interior of the tongue tags has special Japanese text. His mother designed the Kanji-inspired samurai logo on the tongue to honor the Hachimura family name, and the lid of the graphic shoebox depicts the NBA athlete playing against two defenders.
Sentimental sneakers —
The Air Jordan 8 looks strikingly similar to the Washington Wizard’s upcoming Air Jordan 36, which follows a nearly identical color palette and has a few of the same graphics. Previous Hachimura collaborations consist of the Air Jordan 34, Air Jordan 35, and Air Jordan 36 — but it’s retro models such as the Air Jordan 8 that carry more prestige for sneakerheads and players alike.
You can try for the Rui Hachimura Air Jordan 8 at 10 a.m. ET on May 23 for $225 on the SNKRS app. Also in the pipeline is a “Naruto” pack for Zion Williamson’s signature shoe and Luka Doncic’s very first sneaker to call his own — giving plenty to look forward to for sneakerheads who are truly into hoops.
