Quick Facts
- Another OG Nike Air Bakin is returning in 2026
- This time it's the Varisty Royal rendition
- The pair uses varsity royal hues across the wavy paneling, solid black details on the mudguard and sole unit, and silver on the collar
- The Nike Air Bakin Varsity Royal will be released November 12, 2026
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Every year, Nike digs into its archive and pulls out a few retro silhouettes to bring back for the modern market, introducing a new generation of sneakerheads to classics from a bygone era. As we continue to run through the late 90s and early 2000s style revival, the Air Bakin is coming back from 1997 to set the streets on fire all over again.
The Nike Air Bakin Varsity Royal is a blue flame for the newly lit retro, adding to the OG red and yellow release with a two-tone mix of black and blue. The shoe keeps most of the design elements from the OG red colorway, starting with a black strip on the toe that runs around the bottom section of the entire shoe. Above that, a wavy, slitted panel in blue covers the rest of the upper before reverting to black on the top of the tongue. Instead of yellow like the OG pair, the Varsity Royal colorway adds white mesh to the bottom of the tongue and white laces. As with all retro releases of the Bakin, the original AIR text on the heel, which caused controversy for its similarity to the Arabic script for Allah, will be replaced with Nike’s standard “Nike Air” logo.
As more sneaker brands double down on investments in the NBA marketing space and a focus on basketball silhouettes, the Air Bakin retro is a reminder of just how important basketball stars have been to sneaker branding. When the Air Bakin first dropped in 1997, it was backed by memorable ads featuring Tim Hardaway, Kevin Garnett, and Mitch Richmond.
The Nike Air Bakin Varsity Royal will be released November 12, 2026 through Nike and select retailers in-store and online. Available in men’s sizing, the retail price is set at $170. For all the latest Nike retro news and drop info, download the Sole Retriever mobile app.
Zach Harris is a writer based in Philadelphia. His work has appeared in Rolling Stone, Vice, Complex, High Times, and more. He is obsessed with skateboarding and bowling. He is still looking for his first 300. For tips, reviews, and anything in size 10.5 - zach.h@soleretriever.com
