-
Jordan 1 Description
1985 w
as
a
great
year,
not
only
because
Michael
Jordan
w
as
rookie
of
the
year
and
played
in
the
All-Star
g
ame,
but
because
the
Air
Jordan
1's
were
released.
MJ
With
Air
Jordan
IThe
Air
Jordan
I
w
as
the first
shoe
to
be
w
orn
in
the
NBA
w
ith
multiple
colors.
P
eter
Moore
w
as
the
man
behind
the
Air
Jordan
1
(and
also
h
elped
design
the
Air
Jordan
II).
When
Michael
Jordan
first
looked
at
the
AJ
I,
his
response was
not
w
ea
ring
that
shoe.
I'll
look
like
a
clow
n
With
time,
the
shoe
slow
ly
grew
on
him.
Nike
loved
this
idea
so
much
that
they
encouraged
MJ
to
w
ear
the
shoes,
and
Nike
w
ould
pay
the
fees.
In
result,
Nike
gave
the
the
Air
Jordan
1
shoe
banned
by
the
NBA
label.
There
w
as
23
different color
v
ariations
released,
and
this
is
not
including
the
three
colorways
of
the
Air
Jordan
I
KO.
E
ach
AJ
I
shoe
cam
e w
ith
two
sets
of
laces which
matched
the
color
combo.
The
White/Black-
Red
and
Black/Red
Air
Jordan
1's
w
ere
released
as
in
1994
right
after
Jordan
anno
unced
his
retirement
and
sold
VERY
poorly.
So
badly
that
many
pairs
hit
clearance
centers for
$$19.99
or
les
s
(today
a
brand
new
pair
of
these
is worth
$$500+).
In
2001,
Nike
tried
a
second
round
w
ith
retroing
and
the
Air
Jordan
1 w
as
much
more
successful.
The
Air
J
ordan
1
w
as
retroed
in
14
total
colorways from
2001-2003.
The
Air
Jordan
1
is
a
legendary
shoe
and
is
the
holy
grail
of
most
sneaker
collectors
because
of
its
history
and
since
it w
as
the
first
Jordan
shoe
launched.
Jordan 2 Description
The
Air
Jordan
2
debuted
in
the
1986/1987
season
featuring
a
full
length
air
sole
and
very
supportive
mids
ole.
The
Air
Jordan
2
again
stood
out
from
all
of
the
other
basketball
shoes w
ith
a
faux
lizard
skin
on
the
side
of
the
shoe.
The
Air
Jordan
2
also
separated
itsel
f
from
all
other
sneakers
since
it
w
as
made
in
Italy.
T
he
Jordan
2
w
as
also
the
only
Jordan
shoe
to
not
originally
be
made
in
black.
Successful
Sneakers
-
Succ
essful
Season
Along w
ith
great
sneakers
came
great
success
on
the
court.
While
w
earing
the
Jordan
2
,
Mic
hael
Jordan
scored
an
average
of
37.1
points
per
game
and
took
his
first
of
seven
c
onsecutive
scoring
titles.
Jordan
also
scored
40
points
in
9
straight
games
during
the
season
and
also
put
61
up
against
Atlanta
Ha
wk
s.
Along with
all
the
buckets
came
aw
ards.
Next
to
the
Air
Jordan
2
in
his
display
case,
Jordan can
place
the
slam
dunk
contest
trophy,
All-S
tar
Game
appearance,
and was
named
to
first
team
All-NBA.
Are
they
that
different?!
Like
the
Air
Jordan
1,
the
Air
Jordan
2
had
a
horrible
first
appearance
as
a
retro.
T
he
Air
Jordan
2
w
as
brought
back
in
1994
and
1995
and
sold
poorly.
From
discount
racks
at
Footlocker
to
t
he
back
row
at
Ross,
these shoes were
abundant
at
pennies
on
the
dollar.
Follow
ing
the
trend
of
all
other
r
e-retros,
the
Air
Jordan
2
w
as
brought
back
again
in
its
original
color
White/Black-Red
in
2004
and
sold
quit
e w
ell.
The
Air
Jordan
2 w
as
also
the
first
retro
Jordans
to
be
made
in
a
limited
?
player
exclusive
?
colorwa
y
that was
sold
to
the
public.
The
Melo
Jordan
2
?
s
came
out
in
April
of
2004
w
ith
much
success,
selling
ou
t
opening
day.
The
Air
Jordan
2
is
a
pretty
tough
find
for
the
originals
as well
as
the
first
retros.
Due
to
its
soft
midsole,
the
Air
Jordan
2
w
ould
crack
very
easily
and
either
thrown
out
or
demoted
to
grass
cutting
stat
us.
E
very
now
and
again
a
1995
retro
Air
Jordan
2 w
ill
pop
up;
how
ever,
it
is
a
rare
find
in
brand
new
con
dition.
If
you
are
interested
in
getting
a
new
pair
of Air
Jordan
2s,
vi
s
it
the
Jordan
release
dates
page
to
sta
current
on
retro
Air
Jordan
releases.
The Air Jordan 2 made its first debut
in 1986, (which was the white/red colorway) and
the other three color ways
released in
1987. Designer of this model is Bruce Kilgore and
P
eter Moore, (both were dismissed from
making any
more AJ models after the
II). In 1986-87 the Air Jordan II retailed at
$$105.00.
Air Jordan 2 II
The Air Jordan 2 high tops
and low tops
w
ere very
stylish, making them as popular as the AJ I
(according to sales).
A
ll
Original Air Jordan IIs w
ere
made in Italy. Air Jordan 2 II RetroRumor is after
the Original Ai
r
Jordan 2
model the mold
was either destroyed or
was stolen. So when the Air Jordan II re-released
in 1994-95, Nike had to dissect the Original
pair, and when Jordan Brand re-released
the AJ 2 once again in 2004, they had to dissect a
pair of the 1994-95 retros.
On the AJ
II their w
as not a black color way
produced, even though sketches and prototypes were
put together. One of
the most sought
out pair of shoes is the Air Jordan II K.O. Very
little are in existence, and also very
fe
w
pi
c
tures are
floating around.
In 1995 the Air Jordan 2 was re-
released in the high top version, as
w
ell as the lows. They had a
price tag of $$105.00
(same as the
originals), but just like the Air Jordan I they
did not sell w
ell, hitting sales racks
for $$20. In 2004 the AJ 2
once again
made an appearance, with a price tag of $$110.00.
A
lso in 2004-2005 the
A
J II lows were released,
retailing
at $$100.00.
The Air Jordan II (2) was
released in 1986/87.
Michael
scored
an
average
37.1
points
per
game
in
the
86-87
season
and
became
the
fi
r
st
player
since
Wilt
Chamberlain to top 3,000 points in a
season. In November/December he scored 40 points
or more in nine straight
games. On
April 16th he scored a total of 61 points against
the Atlanta Haw
k
s setting a
new NBA record. Michael also
played in
the All-S
tar Game, w
on the
Slam-Dunk Championship, and w
as named
to the All-NBA First T
eam.
No black leather in Italy?
The Air Jordan II w
as
designed by Bruce Kilgore and just as its
predecessor (Air Jordan 1 (I)) it
show
ed a great
innovative
design. The low-tops were very stylish, produced
in Italy and were far from the ordinary basketball
shoe.
Another retro
setback
The Air Jordan 2
(II) Low
1995 - White - Red - Black
were retroed in 1995 in limited quantities. Just
like the Air Jordan
1
(I)
?
s they sold very
poorl
y
and were found on
di
s
Jordan 3
Description
The
Jordan
3
hit
the
streets
in
1988.
T
o
follow
up
an
incredible
year
the
year
before,
a
great
pair
of
Jordan
shoes was
needed
and
fulfilled.
Hatfield
takes
command
The
Air
Jordan
3
w
as
the
first
of
14
Air
Jordans
designed
by
Tinker
Hatfield.
The
Jordan
3
also
carried
m
ore
of
Jordan'
s
name
on
the
shoe
since
the
man
himself w
as
an
active
part
of
the
design
of
the
shoe.
The
shoe was
the
perfect
example
of
Tinker's
skill
to
blend
fashion
with
function.
A
first
of
many
The
Air
Jordan
3
broke
ground for
many
different
aspects
of
the
Nike
Air
Jordan
shoe
line.
First,
the
Air
Jo
rdan
3
featured
the
on
the
tongue
of
the
shoe.
This
silhouette
of
Jordan w
as
to
celebrate
and
c
ommemorate
his
Slam
Dunk
Contest
victory
the
year
before.
E
very
Jordan
after
the
Air
Jordan
3
features
thi
s
Jumpman
as
a
focal
point
of
the
shoe
as well
as
became
the
new
logo
for
the Air
Jordan
line.
The
Air
Jo
rdan
3 w
as
also
the
first
to
feature
a
visible
air
unit.
Lastly,
the
Air
Jordan
3
featured
elephant
print
on
the
upper.
Though
this
material
w
as
only
used
again
on
1
other
model,
it
set
a
standard
that
the
Jordan
shoes
are
as
much
fashionable
as
functional.
The
Air
Jordan
3
also
is
one
of
the
most
famous
shoes
in
the
Air
Jo
rdan
lineup.
On
many
polls,
the
Air
Jordan
3
finishes
as
the
greatest
sneaker
of
all
time.
Marketing
Monster
Nike
created
a
personality
ad
campaign
featuring
the
Mars
Blackmon
character who was created
and
played
by
famous
director
and
actor
Spike
Lee.
This
campaign
follow
ed
Air
Jordan
for
a
couple
of
years
and
is
defi
nitely
one
of
the
most
appreciated
Nike
commercial
series
through
all
time.
Retro
blues
and
Retro
boom
Surprisingly
enough,
the first
time
the
Air
Jordan
3 w
as
retroed
in
1994,
the
shoe
had
limited
success.
When
the
Air
Jordan
3
w
as sold
again
as
a
re-retro
in
2001,
it
w
as
a
different story.
The
shoe w
as
released
in
4
re-retro
colorways
including
3
of
the
original
4
colorw
ays
except
featuring
a
Jumpman
on
the
back
of
the
sh
oe
instead
of
the
famous
Air
symbol.
?
The
Air
Jordan
3
set
the
standard
for
all
Jordan
shoes
to
follo
w
and
is
the
biggest
reason for
success
of
the
entire
line.
If
you
are
interested
in
getting
a
new
pair
of
Air
Jordan
visit
the
Jordan
release
dates
page
to
stay
current
on
retro Air
Jordan
releases.
1987-1988 was an
outstanding year for Michael Jordan performance
wi
s
e. Air Jordan 3 IIIMj
w
on the Slam
Dunk
contest, All S
tar
MVP
, All-Defensive First
T
eam and
Defensi
v
e P
layer
of the Year. Through all this success, he was
wearing the Air Jordan 3.
P
eter Moore (which designed
the Air Jordan I and helped on the II) was let go
from Nike, as well as Bruce Kilgore.
When they had left, P
eter
and Bruce were trying to convince Michael to leave
Nike w
ith them, good thing MJ said no.
Air Jordan III 3
Now
Nike needed a new
designer to make the Air Jordan III. So they went
to world famous Tinker Hatfield. His name is
know
n mainly for designing
Air Jordan III-XV, and also making a return on the
AJ XXs, but Tinker also designed some
really nice Nike's as well. Tinker and
Michael worked hard, talked to each other on what
were good ideas, and what
could
eight shoe,
w
ith
a lot of durability. So w
ith the Air
Jordan 3
they both decided to make them
a Mid top, the first mid top to be seen in the
A
ir Jordan line. On the
A
J III model Tinker
placed the famous jumpman logo on the
back of the shoe, and adding in a
s
o the IIIs
were
the first AJ to have a visible air-sole unit.
The inspirations for the AJ
III are AJ I and II, the free throw dunk, an
elephant, and last, but not least Michael Jordan.
Nike's selling strategy was simple, and
great, they had MJ and Mars Blackmon (Spike Lee).
After watching these funny
commercials
you had to go out and buy yourself a pair.
In 1987-1988 when the Air
Jordan 3s just released they sold for $$100.00. In
1994 when Nike re-released the
A
J III they
retailed at 105.00, but just like the
AJ I and II models, they hit sales racks. In 2001
and 2003 w
hen the Air Jordan III
released one more time, the price tag
w
as $$100.00.
Jordan 4 Description
The
Air
Jordan
4
took
the
world
by
storm
in
1989.
Along w
ith
a
career
season
came
a
career
sneaker.
Tinker
Hatfield
once
again
designed
this
shoe.
The
Air
Jordan
4
featured
many
new
design
concepts.
First,
the
straps
on
the
side
for
increased
ankle
support.
It
was
nearl
y
impossible
for
MJ
to
roll
his
ankle
in
these
shoes.
The
Jordan
4
again
featured
the
air
sole
heel
for
dded
cushioning
and
a
full
length
midsole.
In
the
White/Black-
Cement,
the
shoe
featured
a
unique
texturing
nicknamed
&
Cream
for
its
striking
rese
mblance.
The
Air
Jordan
4
w
as
another
masterpiece
to
the
Jordan
lineup.
Mike
flies
to
new
heights
While
w
earing
the
Air
Jordan
4
,
Michael
Jordan
reached
new
points
in
his
career.
T
aking
another
scori
ng
title
w
ith
32.5
points
per
game,
Jordan
also
appeared
in
the
All-Star
Game,
First
T
eam
NBA,
and
All-
Defe
nse.
This
year was
arguabl
y
Jordan's
best
year
despite
no
championship.
It
w
as
in
the
Air
Jordan
4's
that
Jordan
made
shot
< br>hi
c
h was
a
series
w
i
n
ning
shot
at
the
buzzer
to
a
dvance
the
Bulls
to
the
next
round
in
a
do
or
die
situation.
S
pike
likes
Mike
Nike
continued
the
Jordan
4
commercials
w
ith
Mars
Blackmon
(Spike
Lee)
and
created
the
famous
Can/Can't
TV
commercial.
Spike
Lee
really
liked
these
shoes
personally
and
gave
them
some
extra
promotion
in
his
movie
Do
The
Right
Thing.
A
classi
c
scene
for
all
AJ
fans
is
w
hen
one
of
the
persons
in
the
movie
gets
his
brand
new
AJ
IV's
scuffed
by
a
bicycle
rider
and flips
out
about
it,
places
his
shoe
upon
a fire-hydrant
and
cleans
it
w
ith
a
toothbrush.
Rent
the
movie
today
if
you
haven't
it!
The year was 1989, and Tinker Hatfield
w
as back at his
tri
c
ks storming up an idea
for the Air Jordan 4. How would he
top
the Air Jordan III? Air Jordan Original 4 IV
MilitaryTinker wanted to get further into
performance, rather than some
other
inspiration that
w
as used on
the last three models.
The
Air Jordan IV w
as the first in the line
that had an over-molded mesh. The reason for
thi
s
is, the consumer
w
ould
think the shoe
w
as made cheap. So what Tinker did
w
as dip the mesh in a soft plastic and
blew air through it to clear
out the
plastic in between.
When
the Air Jordan 4 was first released in 1989,
people disliked the shoe, said it looked very
ugly. O
vertime the
model
grew
on a lot of people. Another
feature of the AJ IVs was the capability to lace
your IVs in 18 different patterns.
This
gave your IVs your own style. Air Jordan 4 Fire
RedThe overall personality of the Air Jordan 4 was
saying
back to
w
ork
as a father and husband
for the first time in his life, and since the Air
Jordan III w
as such a
luxurious model, MJ and Tinker
w
anted to bring back to the original
draw board.
When
the AJ
IVs were
fi
r
st
released
in
1989
they
retailed
at
$$110.00.
In
1999-2000 when
the
IVs
made
another
appearance they sold
for $$100.00,
also in 2004
they retailed for $$110.00. In 2005 Air Jordan did
a collaboration w
ith Undftd, auctioning
off the shoes
between
$$1500.00
to
$$2600.00. Al
s
o
a AJ
4
Laser
package was
released with
a
t-shirt
and
hat
that retailed
for
$$200.00, and later that
year Jordan Brand released a black color way of
the laser IVs that retailed for $$175.00. In 2006
a pair of
w
ith a
price tag of $$125.00.
Jordan 5
Description
The
Air Jordan 5
w
as released in February
1990. Four models of the
A
ir
Jordan V was released to the public. Original
Air Jordan 5
V Grapes
T
w
o models
w
hi
c
h are the
Black/Black-Metallic Silver and White/Fire Red-
Black had
MJs
number
The
Air Jordan
V
was the first in the
Ai
r
Jordan line to have a
clear rubber sole. Tinker Hatfield also designed
the Nike
Marty
MacFly
?
s featured in the
movie Back to the
Future II, they had
clear molding
w
hi
c
h
allow
ed light to come
through, and that
i
s
were Tinker got the idea
from.
Air Jordan Retro 5
V
A
A
J
5 was the first time anyone had ever molded foam
into a shoe upper.
When you
look at the AJ V besides the icey soles, what else
do you notice? What I notice is the flames on the
side.
Tinker
came
to
the
conclusion
that
the way
Michael
performed was
a
Fighter
P
lane
When
the
AJ
5
w
as
designed, the
inspiration was
pitfire MkVIII, which
is a World War II British fighter
plane. T
o add to the
finishing touches of the shoe, Tinker added a
reflective 3M tongue with Jumpman embroidery.
When the Air Jordan 5 first
came out in 1990 they retailed for $$125.00. In
2000 w
hen the AJ V made its second
appearance they sold for $$120.00. 2006
Jordan Brand will re-release the Air Jordan V once
again, but this time w
ith a
$$135.00 price tag.
The
Air Jordan 5
w
as released in 1990 and
once again featured innovative and creative
designs and features.
New
Coach, Higher Hopes?
P
hil Jackson replaced Doug
Collins as head coach of the Bulls in the 1989-90
season. This year was the best record
that the Bulls since Jordan joined the
team as well as a franchise best record at 55-27.
Jordan al
s
o hit
hi
s
personal
best when he hit 69 points again
Cleveland. Jordan also hit 92 three-pointers
compared to onl
y
68 in all
of the prior
seasons combined! Jordan
again took home the scoring title,
All-S
tar, First T
eam, and
All-Defense.
High Flying
Design
The Air Jordan 5
featured a unique style cooked up by Tinker
Hatfield. The Air Jordan 5 was
inspi
r
ed by the WW2
Mustang fighter plane. The most obvious
element of the inspiration is the shark teeth
shapes on the midsole of the
shoe. The
Air Jordan 5 also was the first Jordan shoe to
have a clear sole. This not only added a nice look
to the Air
Jordan 5, but provided far
better traction. The
A
ir
Jordan 5 al
s
o featured an
iridescent reflective tongue and lacelocks.
Jordan 6 Description
What makes the
Air Jordan VI
so remarkable?
Could it be that the AJ 6 w
as worn
during MJs fi
r
st NBA title?
Air
Jordan VI 6Or could it be he won
his first NBA Finals MVP
? Maybe it is
the material, or design of the Air Jordan VI.
Which ever it may be, this is one shoe
to remember.
On
the
Air Jordan 6
Michael
Jordan gave direct orders to have a clean toe, so
Tinker Hatfield made sure the
Air
Jordan VI
had a
reinforcement around the toe, making the AJ VI the
first basketball model to obtain this.
MJ had
problems putting on
the past five models,
Original
Air Jordan
6
VIso Tinker designed tw
o
holes on the top of the tongue, and one loop on
the back, calling it
spoiler
The Air Jordan 6 was the second model
to have the clear rubber sole. When
the
Air Jordan V was released a lot of
people complained that their children
w
ere falling because the soles would
collect dust that was on the court, making
the sole slippery. Now on the Air
Jordan VI Tinker added a more solid rubber, so
this problem w
ould not happen again.
Michael wanted the heel tab
positioned so it did not hit his Achilles tendon,
making the Jordan 6 the
fi
r
st shoe to have
any sort of molded structure on the
back. The last touch Tinker gave
w
as incorporated the number
of the shoe. When the original Air
Jordan VI came out in 1991 there w
ere
fi
v
e color
w
ay models retailing for
$$125.00.
In 2000 three models
w
ere re-released of the Air Jordan 6,
selling for $$120.00, and in 2002 three low top
versions
came
out
w
hich sold
for
$$105.00.
In
2005
Jordan
Brand
released
a
DMP
w
hi
c
h
stands for
Moments
P
ackage
hich
consisted of the Air Jordan VI and XI. Retail is
$$295.00.
The Air Jordan 6
w
as released for the 1990-91 season.
This season and this shoe was part of a defining
moment for
Championship at
last!
E
very year
the Jordan had played was a great one, but this
year was just a little sw
eeter for
Mike. The Bulls w
on the
NBA
Championship defeating the LA
Laker'
s
in the Finals.
Jordan again took home the NBA scoring title and
his 2nd of
5 MVP
aw
ards.
Rubber
tounge
What is there to say
else than Hatfield created another classic. This
time w
ith a rubber tounge featuring two
holes
whi
c
h the
bearer could use to easily get the
kick
s on. He kept the idea
w
ith clear rubber soles and lace locks
from the
Air Jordan
5'
s
but apart from that this
felt like a brand new
A
J design for the
A
ir Jordan 6.
Retro or a butchered classic?
Right before the retro
release of the black/black-infra-red Air Jordan 6,
pi
c
tures were published on
webpages
w
here it
showed that they had reversed the
midsole colors so that the red was no
w
black and vi
c
e versa. This
upset a whole lot
of collectors and the
word
kept their ears to the street and
made the Air Jordan 6 just like the original
keeping their followers happy. There are
several sample pairs of the
r
Jordan 6 floating around
the sneaker collecting community,
how
ever, don't
expect to get
these for any less than $$ Retro Air Jordan 6 was
the first retro Jordan shoe to be made in an
olympic colorway. For the
S
ydney 2000 games, an Olympic colorway
was made in limited numbers
of 3000
pairs.
T
oday, 6 years later,
many Jordan collectors estimate that the number of
deadstock pairs of the Olympic Air Jordan 6 is
less than 150 or 200 pairs.
Jordan 7 Description
Tinker Hatfield could be
inspired by anything when it comes to the Air
Jordan line.
Air Jordan VII
HistoryOn the
Air
Jordan
7
when Tinker was in
P
ortland, he saw a poster that was
African art, influenced by an
A
fropop Worldwide. The
person in the poster
w
as playing a guitar shaped
like Africa. Around the time w
hen
Tinker was ready to design the Air
Jordan VII
Michael sat down
w
remaining sophisticated
Air
Jordan VII History
Tinker
had now
went inside the store and asked
to purchase the poster, but the owner did not
w
ant to sell it because
he
w
as advertising a radio show and the
Afropop music. Tinker had now
told him
he w
orked on the design of the
Air
Jordan line
.
The store o
wner decided to sell the
poster to him for $$15. All the lines on the Air
Jordan 7 were influenced
by Western
African tribal patterns, which were on the poster.
The Air Jordan VII w
as also worn by
Michael Jordan in
the 1992 Barcelona
Olympics. Nike had made a
special
was 9 on the back.
In 1992 Nike had released
fi
v
e color ways of the
Air Jordan 7
. They sold for
$$125.00 each. In 2002 tw
o more models
came out retailing at $$125.00. In 2004
the Olympic VIIs came out and sold for $$130.00.
Now
in 2006 four models
released whi
c
h
sold for $$135.00, and one women's model sold for
$$130.00.
The Air Jordan 7
was worn by Mike in the 1991-92 season as well as
the gold-medal w
inning Barcelona
Olympic
Games.
As Good As It
Gets
While wearing the Air Jordan
7'
s
, Michael Jordan
w
on his third MVP
aw
ard, second NBA championship, and the
NBA
scoring title. On top of that,
Jordan took home his second Olympic Gold Medal
w
hen the Dream T
eam of
?
92 crushed
the
international competition including a 116-48 rout
over
A
ngola.
Unique Features
The Air
Jordan 7 is a very unique shoe in the Jordan line
as well as a basketball shoe. The Air Jordan 7
featured
Huarache technology which made
the shoe really stick to your foot. The shoe was
much lighter w
eight than some of
the previous Air Jordans as well. The
Air Jordan 7 was also unique in that it did not
feature the
?
Nike
Air
?
logo, a
visible air unit, or clear soles.
Jordan 8 Description
The
Air Jordan
8
was released during the 1992-93
?
Three-P
eat
?
Championship season. The
Air Jordan 8
was the
The Bulls and Jordan won their third
consecutive NBA title. Jordan himself got his
seventh straight scoring title and
reached a milestone in his NBA career
when scoring his 20,000th point.
Hot
and heavy
The
Air
Jordan 8
was one heavy beast. Its base
was clearly close to its predecessor but it had a
lot more details, color
and accents. It
had cross-over velcro/leather straps and was so
padded your foot got
surpri
s
ed.
Due to
the thick padding the shoe was heavy and
also easily got very warm. Many ponder
that the heat could have
been the
reason why Michael was bothered with
athlete
?
s foot infections
during the season.
Retro
Boom
The Air Jordan 8 was
first retroed in 2003. Nike kept it short and
sweet
w
ith the
Air Jordan 8 retro
release.
There
w
ere
only
4
colorways
released
in
total
w
ith
t
w
o
mids
and
tw
o
lows.
The
Air
Jordan
8
retros were
one
of
the
most
anticipated retros ever released.
TiTinker Hatfield
w
anted the Air Jordan 8 to not feature
a Nike sign. He thought the Jordan Brand
w
as strong enough
at this
point to hold its ow
n. Tinker brought
up to Nike that the Jordan line w
as
strong enough to start eliminating the
Nike sign at the AJ VI. After Tinker
was done telling his story, Nike pretty much
laughed in his face.
It
took a lot of time, and a lot of convincing to
make this happen, but it finally w
ent
through. If you look at the Original
Air Jordan VIII model you
w
ill notice there is no Nike sign.
The Air Jordan VIII started
a lot of talk through sneaker heads, basketball
players, or people that enjoyed a pair of
Nike's. The design w
as
crazy, the AJ 8 also had a polycarbonate torsion
plate, and to top it all off, the color ways
bl
e
w
people
aw
ay.
Air Jordan VIII
History
A sad feature about
the Air Jordan VIII w
as they were not
as comfortable as other Air Jordan models. Air
Jordan VIII
s
o called bunny
ears) would make the shoe tight on the sides, so
people with wide feet had a
hard time
w
earing them. What the Air Jordan 8 did
have going for it is: durabuck uppers,
Ai
r
sole, Huarache inner
sleeve and anti-inversion cross-straps
(aka bunny ears).
In 1993
the Original Air Jordan VIII released in three
color ways. The Color schemes were
White/Black-T
rue Red,
Black/Bright Concord-Aqua
T
one and Black-Black-T
rue
Red. They sold for $$125.00. When 2003 came, Jordan
Brand
released
t
w
o
more
models
of
the Air
Jordan
8
selling
for
$$135.00,
also
two
low cut
versions
of
the AJ VIII
w
ere
released and
sold for $$110.00.
Jordan 9
Description
In
1992-1993 w
hen Tinker Hatfield and Nike
started w
orking on the
Air
Jordan 9
, Michael Jordan w
as
in Asia to
promote for Nike.
Air Jordan IX
HistoryTinker was really influenced by Japanese
design. There is a lot of features on the shoe
that you
may not know
whi
c
h came from the Japanese
culture.
Here is a comment
from Tinker on the
Air Jordan
IX
:
A
ir Jordan brand
name. E
verybody around the world
w
anted to
be like
Mike. T
ake a close look at the soles of
the shoes, we designed the
di
f
ferent languages around
the world that
describes the sporting
spirit of Michael Jordan and what he has done for
the world of sports.
Jordan 10
Description
Michael Jordan w
as now away
from the game of basketball, and he began a
relatively short lived career in baseball.
Air Jordan X
HistoryMany
people thought the Air Jordan line was done, even
Nike, but Tinker Hatfield had a different
thought.
The
Air Jordan 10
w
as
the first model that Michael Jordan did not
approve, he had talked to Tinker at the beginning
stages of development, but nothing
w
as set in stone. The
quality of the shoe was up to par with huarache
inner sleeve,
as not right
w
ith them.
When
the
Air Jordan X
w
as released, a lot of the
models had a strap of leather going across the top
of the toe, but then
Nike came out
w
ith a clean-toed version (just how
Michael liked his shoes). When Michael returned to
the NBA he did
wear the
Jordan 10
, with his
ne
w number
In 1994
w
hen the original release of the Air
Jordan 10 came out, a total of three models
released, and a regional pack
whi
c
h had five
di
f
ferent color ways
representing five selected teams. Those lucky
teams are
?
Sacramento
Kings,
New
York Knicks,
Orlando Magic, Seattle Supersonics and the Chicago
Bulls, and a pair of
Air Jordan
X
cleats w
ere
released, all retailing at $$125.00.
When 2005 hit Jordan Brand knew it
w
as time to re-release the
Ai
r
Jordan X, so they
sold for $$125.00 and a total of 7 color
ways and two of them w
ere for
w
omen.
The Air Jordan 10 was released in
1994-95 despite Jordan
?
s
absense from the NBA. The Air Jordan 10 featured a
different shape than the previous
Jordan shoes did.
Not everyone plays
like Mike
T
oo bad for Mike
(but good for all of his follow
ers),
baseball went on strike thus leaving Jordan
hanging with nothing to
do - that is if
he didn
?
t return to the NBA.
Sure enough, Jordan shocked everyone when he
returned from retirement
on
March
19,
1995.
Since
his
jersey
had
been retired,
he
had
to
go
back
onto
the court wearing
#45
until
the
technicalities were cleared out of the
w
ay.
Jordan 11
Description
The
Air Jordan 11
are loved by
many sneaker enthusiasts and are
al
w
ays a sell out.
Air Jordan XI
HistoryMichael
Jordan w
as now back in the
NBA, and the
Air Jordan XI
w
as his shoe for the 1995-1996 season.
But before Michael
Jordan wore the
model, Tinker had to design them.
Tinker Hatfield thought that Nike
should pull out all the stops and make a shoe out
of materials that had never been
used
in a basketball shoe. At
fi
r
st, Tinker was thinking
of using some high-end nylons, but good thing he
changed his
mind. Tinker
w
anted the
Air Jordan
11
to look like a convertible, with a
shiny body, so that is
w
hy
the Air Jordan XI had
patent leather.
Not only w
as it
the patent leather on the Air Jordan XI made them
special, but the addition of a lightweight
P
hylon
midsole
w
ith a full-length
Ai
r
-Sole unit and full-
length carbon fiber plate, as well as being
supportive. But sadly, there
were some
defects in them.
Air Jordan XI History
For the look of the shoe
itself, Tinker was (like alw
ays)
thinking of some inspirations. If you're an
arti
s
t, then anything
can inspire you, so when Tinker saw a
yellow lawn mow
er you wonder how he fit
that into the Jordan 11. According to
Tinker:
Air
Jordan
XI
History
are
designers
out
there
designing
lawn
mow
ers
to
look
like
sports
cars.
1995-96 playoffs,
Michael had a bad spill w
earing the AJ
XI, and the reason being is poor traction.
Al
s
o the midsole
would get creases very fast.
When the Air Jordan 11 came
out in 1995 they sold for $$124.99. Three mids
w
ere released, and two I.E
.
lows (
which
sold for
$$115.00). Only five pairs of the Air Jordan XI
pace Jams
ere made for
Michael, for the movie S
pace Jam.
Five colorways re-released in 2001-2002
going for $$125.00. E
ight Air Jordan XI
lows were released in 2001 which sold
for $$120.00, and
t
w
o I.E
. lows
were released in 2003 $$119.00. In 2006, a Defining
Moments P
ackage was released
whi
c
h contained
the Air Jordan XI and Air Jordan VI.
The legendary Air Jordan 11 was first
released for for 1995-96 season. The Air Jordan 11
are the most famous and
most popular
model of the Air Jordan line.
Back With Aggression!
Jordan was back for real and he led the
Bulls to yet another NBA victory. He also became
the second man to ever win
Most
Valuable
P
layer
a
wards for
the
regular season, All-S
tar
Game
and
NBA
Finals
in
season.
Jordan
averaged 30.4 points
per game and scored 40 or more points in nine
games while wearing the Air Jordan
11'
s
. What a
come
back!
Triple Come Back
If Jordan was back, so was
Tinker Hatfield. A terri
f
ic
design
w
ith a new patent
leather and the return of the clear rubber
sole made the Air Jordan 11 the most
appreciated
A
ir Jordan model
ever released.
But
w
hen the design stunned everyone, the
durability and quality w
as
disappointing. Again the clear rubber soles
easily yellow
ed and the
patent leather also tended to crack up and/or
easily get scratched. T
op design -
lacking quality.
With the
Air Jordan 11 we also sa
w the return of
low
-tops. Something that
w
ould follow
the Air
Jordan'
s
all the
w
ay to
the Jordan 21s
(though skipping the OG Jordan 12's).
Jordan 12 Description
A new year means a new shoe
design from Nike and
Air
Jordan
. Nike Basketball w
as
heading into a different direction
with
foamposite, shox, and big air bubbles in shoes.
What can the
Air Jordan 12
do to compete? Believe it or not the
AJ
XII got started with a woman's fashion shoe from
the 19th century called
he
knows women
have
a
lot
of
it.
He
did
not care
if
you
made
fun
of
him
for wearing
a
women's wri
s
t
band or
something else
feminine.
Air Jordan XII
History
On the
Air Jordan 12
there was more
than just the women's high heel for inspiration,
but al
s
o the Japanese Rising
Sun
flag played a big role in the
making. Air Jordan XII HistoryThe stitching down
the sides resemble sun rays. If you look
at past Air Jordan sneakers, you
w
ill notice the famous
here
on the model. On the Air Jordan 12
Michael w
anted a
di
f
ferent look
w
ith his number 23. So an idea came to
Michael Jordan to have 23 w
ritten down
the
tongue, written like this:
T
w
o 3.
A lot of good qualities w
ere
on the
Air Jordan XII
, for
example they had the Zoom Air unit (also the first
Air Jordan to
have a Zoom air unit),
modified herringbone pattern for improved traction
and a more improved carbon fiber shank
Jordan XII History
When the Air Jordan 12 first released
in 1996 they sold for $$135.00, and
fi
v
e
di
f
ferent color ways were
r
eleased. In
2003
tw
o color ways released selling for
$$135.00, and a pair of Air Jordan XII cleats
released. A couple months later
an Air
Jordan XII package was sold which came
w
ith the Air Jordan XII, hoody and hat
whi
c
h sold for $$200 (online
only). 2004 was now here and four color
ways came out of the Air Jordan XII,
w
hich
w
ent for
$$135.00, and three AJ XII
lows dropped
selling for $$115.00.
The
Air Jordan 12 was released in 1996-97 and were the
first Air Jordan shoes in the Jordan Brand line.
In this season, Jordan lost the
MVP
by the narrowest margin in NBA
history to Karl Malone as he helped lead his Jazz
to the NBA Finals
onl
y
to fall to Jordan and
the Bulls. Jordan wore the Air Jordan
12
?
s while he
took
home his
fi
f
th
NBA title
and fifth NBA Finals MVP
.
Love for Japan
The
Air
Jordan
12 featured something
very
unique
in
terms
of
design.
The
Air
Jordan
12
upper was stitched
to
resemble the Japanese Rising Sun flag.
The Air Jordan 12 also was the most durable shoes
out of the whole Jordan