At launch in 1996, the Nike Air DT Max 96 was the latest in a long line of Nike cross-trainers. The Nike Air Trainer 1 launched in 1987 — and the original Tinker Hatfield design remains a favorite among collectors and sneakerheads to this day. Nike made two-sport sensation Bo Jackson the face of its cross trainer line. When Bo retired in 1991, the House of Swoosh needed a new face for its multisport shoe: Enter Deion "Prime Time" Sanders,
Deion Sanders made his Major League Baseball debut (for the New York Yankees) in 1989. Drafted fifth overall by the Atlanta Falcons, he made his NFL debut the same year. In 1989, he was the first man to hit a home run in the major leagues and score a touchdown in the NFL in the same week. By 1994, he had become the first man to appear in a World Series (losing the '92 series with the Atlanta Braves) and a Super Bowl (winning Super Bowl XXIX in January 1995 with the San Francisco 49ers).
In 1996, he was one of the biggest stars in American sports, a legend in his own lifetime, with his own Diamond Turf line of Nike cross-trainers.
The Nike Air DT Max 96 was Prime Time's third signature shoe with the House of Swoosh, but his first designed by the legendary Tinker Hatfield, the originator of Nike's cross-trainer line. Tracy Teague designed the first two Diamond Turf editions, establishing a unique look by moving the Air Trainer's forefoot lockdown strap to the midfoot. Hatfield's return to cross-trainers for the Air DT Max 96 brought a few more features.
Notably, Hatfield integrated a visible Max Air unit — taken from his classic Nike Air Max design. He added unique style, giving the Diamond Turf (DT) line its own logo: a combination of gridiron goalposts and a baseball diamond. Sneakerheads also got a "hidden" graphic: Sanders' face embedded in a bubble in the outsole. The shoes also featured a novel "claw marks" design on the outer, inspired by the slashing talons of the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park (which had gripped audiences in 1994) but intended as a "shredded" aesthetic to represent Sanders' blistering speed.
