Nike Air More Uptempo Black/White 2026 Review

Back for the SIXTH time since its original release 30 years ago, the 2026 reissue of the Black/White Nike Air More Uptempo is as close to the original model as we've ever gotten. The Nike Air More Uptempo, and this colorway specifically, was made famous by Scottie Pippen. This release comes in a white and red Nike Sportswear box, though it would have been cool to see them come in the original box, since they nailed the rest of the shoe. Release Date: August 21, 2026 Price: $170 Sizing: True to size for looser fit, .5 size down for 1:1 performance fit. Buy at GOAT Summary: The Nike Air More Uptempo is back once again with a classic design that stays true to the 1996 original. The Nike Air More Uptempo has a solid rubber outsole with a herringbone traction pattern, as well as an oval-shaped pattern at the tip of the toe. As for performance, we're usually all about taking retro hoop shoes on court, since that was their original purpose when they released – but it's probably best to wear these casually. The Air More Uptempo isn't a good on-court performer, traction included. The outsole features a massive white Swoosh as well as a smaller one on the heel, with AIR branding and a window that reveals the Air unit sitting on top. Who needs performance when a shoe looks this cool? As if the upper didn't tip you off, the Nike Air More Uptempo features Nike Air in the midsole. What you may not know, though, is that it's actually not a full-length Air unit (that would come the next year, with the Air Max Uptempo 97). What these have is a three-piece Air setup, with visible Air in the heel, midfoot, and forefoot. The rest of the midsole is comprised of Phylon foam, and overall, the cushion here feels good, especially considering that shoes from the 90s with visible Air often feel brick-like underfoot. These don't, thankfully. The Nike Air More Uptempo has one of the most instantly recognizable upper designs of all time, and this release does a fantastic job of recreating the original design, down to some small details that have been changed on previous retro runs of the shoe. The upper materials consist of synthetic nubuck with white synthetic leather backing the AIR font, which extends all the way to the midsole, just like it did on the original model. It's a pretty cheap material setup overall, but it gets the job done and feels decent on foot. Other details that stay true to the original design include the Swoosh over the toe, which has a white border instead of the black border that it's had on a number of retros. The Swoosh on the heel is done up in black here, just like the original. The Nike Air More Uptempo fits true to size with a bit of extra wiggle room, which will be perfect for casual wear and for those with wide feet. If you like a more snug fit, going down a half size will work for you. The Nike Air More Uptempo is a classic Nike silhouette, and we'll love them no matter how many times they re-release. This version is a faithful retro, which we greatly appreciate and hope to see more of in the future, maybe with some other colorways. Also, when will Nike retro the Air More Uptempo's little brother, the Nike Air Much Uptempo? It has the same classic upper design, but with a sleeker, more mobile tooling setup featuring Air in the heel. We'd love to see those make a return. Buy Nike Air More Uptempo We purchased a pair of the Air More Uptempo to facilitate this review. Nike had no involvement in this review, didn't receive an advance look at it, and has not attempted to influence it.