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It’s Time for the Nike Mac Attack
By Ben McKimm - News Published:
The Nike Mac Attack is Jon McEnroe’s signature shoe that first released in one colourway all the way back in 1984. However, it’s becoming the topic of discussion for sneakerheads everywhere with collaborative efforts popping up left, right, and centre. Most recently, a Travis Scott pair with a reverse swoosh in an OG colourway, alongside a collection of Social Status pairs with colours that take direct aim at retro basketball sneakers like the New Balance 550.
As is the case with any great Nike roll-out, Lebron James and Travis Scott have both been spotted wearing the OG colourway of the shoe. With the Lakers star wearing the sneaker in the pre-game tunnel back in January 2021. Has Nike left it too late to bring the Mac Attack back? There’s no arguing that the hype surrounding sneakers like the New Balance 550 and Adidas Forum has slowed down considerably. However, we’d expect the shoe to make waves once it receives an official release date. That’s what Travis Scott does.
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John McEnroe wearing his Nike Mac Attack | Image: Supplied
The Mac Attack is One of the Great Signature Shoes
Dennis Rodman, Charles Barkley, Andre Agassi and John McEnroe. Four hard-headed athletes who made careers out of the ‘bad boy’ image synonymous with the great sporting era. And while Chuck and Rodman only really made the headlines in the 1990s, it was McEnroe who almost founded the idea of hot-headed gamesmanship in the 1980s. Who better to give a signature shoe?
Early advertisements painted McEnroe as a “Rebel With a Cause” – a la James Dean – but it was the three-quarter cut Mac Attack shoe that did most of the lifting. While others were sporting the classic white tennis shoes that we’ve grown to love over the years, e.g. the Adidas Stan Smith, the Mac Attack hit the ground with features like a checkerboard tongue, sloping mid-cut design, and contrasting Light Silver/Black colourway.
Nike Mac Attack OG Colourway | Image: Asphalt Gold
We Haven’t Seen it Since
The Nike Mac Attack is one of the only Nike signature shoes to never receive a ‘Retro’. The closest we had was the Nike Manor from early 2012, alongside a handful of samples floating around the internet, but we’ve never received an official retro of the shoe.
Even Nike themselves had to turn towards sneaker resale store Rif Los Angeles, to source a pair for Travis Scott. It was likely these shoes that served as the inspiration for the latest collaboration between Travis Scott and Nike for his very own reverse-swoosh Mac Attack OG. According to an article on Complex, “the former Nike employee who helped Travis find the vintage pair at Rif insists that it wasn’t part of a marketing push, and was motivated instead by the artist’s genuine appreciation for the shoe.” However, the news of a collaboration between the two brands certainly begs to differ.
Travis Scott wearing OG Nike Mac Attack | Image: Getty
Are the Mac Attacks Getting a Retro?
While no release dates have been marked for the re-release of the Nike Mac Attack, Travis Scott was recently spotted performing in a reverse-swoosh Mac Attack OG, hinting at a collaboration between the artist and Nike. There have also been reports surrounding an OG colourway retro of the Mac Attack that’s due to arrive later this year after sample pairs were leaked back in 2021.
There’s no denying that a collaboration between the two would send shockwaves, and if they were followed up by canvas iterations with Social Status, as showcased by NBA player and sneaker legend PJ Tucker, it’s time for the Mac Attack takeover.
Travis Scott wearing his new Nike Mac Attack collaboration | Image: Getty
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