Air Jordan I
Although Tinker Hatfield is the name most associated with the design of the Air Jordan line, Peter More was the designer of the Air Jordan 1. The Air Jordan I pair of sneakers was considered a breakthrough in basketball shoe design and colorways.
The Air Jordan I is similar to the Nike Dunk and the Air Force 1 in appearance. When first released the Air Jordan’s sold for $125. The NBA banned the Air Jordan I from being worn in the league, as it went against the traditional all white shoes worn at the time. Michael Jordan, however, still wore the Air Jordan I’s and was fined $5,000 a game.
Nike exploited the marketing opportunity created by the league’s reaction to the shoe, combined with Jordan’s exploding popularity, by paying the fines throughout his rookie campaign. Jordan sported the Black/Red colorway (aka “Banned”) while winning the 1984-85 Rookie of the Year. In his second year an injury cost Jordan 64 games, but when on the court (including his historic 63 point effort against the Boston Celtics in the playoffs) he wore the Air Jordan 1 White-Black-Red. Jordan would wear the Air Jordan 1 again in the 1997-98 season, during his final appearance as a Bull at Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks. Nike has released many Air Jordan 1 Retro versions since the original came out in 1985. As of today, Air Jordan I has been the most reproduced Air Jordan with over 96 colorways.
Air Jordan II
The Jordan II, released in 1987, was designed by Bruce Kilgore, who also designed Nike’s Air Force I, and was made in Italy. This was the first of the Jordan series to not feature a Swoosh. Jordan wore this shoe while winning his first NBA slam dunk title.
Air Jordan III
The Air Jordan III was designed by Tinker Hatfield. It was the first Air Jordan to feature a visible air unit on the heel, the new Jumpman logo, an elephant print trim, and tumble leather for a luxury look. The Air Jordan III were also famous for the humorous ads depicting Spike Lee as Mars Blackmon —the character he played in his film”She’s Gotta Have It”‘. This campaign was known as “Mars and Mike” ad campaign, which was one of Nike’s most successful advertisement campaigns. These were the first Jordans to feature the “NIKE AIR” logo on the back, but later replaced by the Jumpman logo, with the words “AIR” underneath it, similar to the Air Jordan VI. These were said to be Michael Jordan’s favorite shoes, he wore them during the 1988 Dunk Championship and many other historical events in his basketball career.
The Air Jordan III’s had poor sales when first retro’ed in 1994. However when they were re-retro’ed in 2001, they sold very well. A pair of the Air Jordan III’s can sell for over 300 dollars on various sites, one in particular being eBay. The long awaited “Fire Red” Air Jordan III was released in March 2007.
In 2007, Jordan brand collaborated with director Spike Lee to release a limited pair of Air Jordan III’s in a colorway that resembled the “Do The Right Thing” movie poster.
In 2011, Jordan brand released a Black History Month (BHM) Jordan 3 colorway in commemoration of the 35th anniversary of Black History Month. The sneaker is black with gold trim and stitching as well as laser print around the toe and heel. The BHM 3 was a very limited quickstrike release and there was said to have been no more than 3,000 pairs made.
Air Jordan IV
The Air Jordan IV shoe was first released in 1989, also designed by Tinker Hatfield. It became the first Jordan shoe released on the global market, with some exceptions.
Spike Lee, the director/actor who helped in the ad campaign for the Air Jordan III, created the “Can/Can’t” Commercial. Lee also featured the Air Jordan IV in his movie “Do The Right Thing” in a scene where the character “Buggin Out” (played by Giancarlo Espsito) angrily confronts a bicyclist who accidentally bumps into him and scuffs his Air Jordan IV shoes. After the confrontation, Buggin Out promptly places his shoe on a fire hydrant and cleans the shoe along with making some other subtle changes. One example being “NIKE AIR” logo featured on the back of the shoe being replaced with the Jumpman logo.
In 2006, Nike released several variations of the Air Jordan IV, including “Mars Blackmons” (“Red” IV’s with Spike Lee’s alter ego on the heel), “Military Blues”, and the $500 “Thunder and Lightning” package. Also released was the Mist blue colour with all white and all black.The Air Jordan Bordeaux Spiz’ike 4 were specifically made for Spike Lee in order to pay respect for advertising the Air Jordan Cement retro 3.
The Air Jordan IV were on Jordan’s feet when he made “The Shot” in Game 5 of the 1989 NBA First Round between the Chicago Bulls and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Air Jordan V
The original Air Jordan V was released in February 1990, again designed by Hatfield. Some elements were the same from the Air Jordan IV, but the Air Jordan V’s most distinctive feature is arguably its reflective tongue. There was also another innovation: clear rubber soles. The soles gave the shoe a whole new and unique look, but it yellowed over time when exposed to moisture. To combat this problem, collectors stored the shoes in a cool, dry place with a desiccant at the soles, most commonly silica.
The Air Jordan V also featured a base top with lace locks, making strapping on the shoe easy. The lacelock feature partly inspired the Air Jordan Spiz’ike. The Air Jordan V model is considered to have the best structure and design to wear during basketball games and sold the most pairs of shoes from the Air Jordan line.
Hatfield is believed to have drawn inspiration for the Air Jordan V from the World War II P-51 Mustang fighter plane; which is most notably visible in the shark teeth shapes on the midsole. The Air Jordan V was retroed in 2000 to great demand, including a new colorway featuring Michael Jordan’s high school (Laney High) colors. In 2006 several re-retro V’s had released including the very popular LS “Grape” V’s, the LS “burgundy” V’s, the popular “Fire-Red” V’s, the “Green Bean” V’s, and “Stealth Blue” V’s. Along with the latter, a very limited laser design and the black/metallic/fire red colorways were released in early 2007.
Air Jordan VI
The Air Jordan VI was released in early 1990s and designed by Tinker Hatfield. Jordan won his first NBA Championship wearing these sneakers. The heel tab of the shoe took inspiration from Michael Jordan’s slant-nosed Porsche.To celebrate the defining moment of Jordan’s first championship Nike released a commemorative Black/Gold Air Jordan 6 packaged with a White/Black/Gold Jordan 11 sold as the “Defining Moments Package”. It was released on January 28, 2006 and sold for $295.00.
The entire tongue, and part of the lace locks of the Jordan VI were inspiration for the Air Jordan Spiz’ike. The lace locks and back tab of the Jordan VI were also inspiration for the Air Jordan “Six Rings”.
In 2008 a second Olympic colorway was released that consisted of an all-white patent leather upper, black tongue, and all of the Olympic rings’ colors on the midsole. On the toebox of the shoe is an embroidered Chinese flower as a symbol of the 2008 Summer Olympics.
In 2010, the Air Jordan VI’s were retroed, coming out with a Infrared Pack and several new color ways, there were colorways similar to the Infrared known as the Varsity Red.If you look at the Stitched on Material you will notice a 2 & 3, both backwards & frontwards.
Air Jordan VII
The Air Jordan VII was released in 1992. Tinker Hatfield created the Air Jordan VII which had many similarities with the Air Jordan VI model. The Air Jordan VII was unique because it used some of the Nike Huarache technology to create a shoe that really stuck to the consumer’s foot. The visible air sole, the Nike Air logo, and the yellowing soles all were no longer featured on the Air Jordan VII. The Air Jordan VII model is also commonly known as the “Hares” because the commercials promoting the shoe featured cartoon character Bugs Bunny. This was the first Air-Jordan in the line that did not have any distinctive “Nike Air” on the outer portions of the shoe. The “Nike Air” can be found on the in-soles. Nike was unhappy about this, but the designer, Tinker Hatfield, had a greater vision believing that the “jumpman” could stand on its own. A precursor to “Jordan Brand” about 6–7 years down the road.
When Jordan went to compete at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics to play for the US Men’s Basketball Team (also known as the “Dream Team”), Nike released a special Olympic color combo of the Air Jordan VII model which featured Jordan’s Olympic jersey number, 9 while all of the previous Air Jordan models that featured his jersey number had always been the number 23.
Air Jordan VIII
The Air Jordan VIII was released to coincide with the 1992-1993 NBA season.The eighth model of the Air Jordan was noticeably heavier than its predecessors.
Its base was clearly close to that of the Air Jordan VII model, but it had a lot more details, including two crossover straps on each shoe and a jumpman logo. Thus the Air Jordan VIII model became known as the “Punisher” due to its advanced basketball ankle support and superior traction. This shoe contains a full length air sole, crossover straps (for added support and more custom fit), circular pattern midsole and contrast stitching for comfort all the zones on your feet.
Air Jordan IX
Originally released in November 1993, the Air Jordan IX model was the first Air Jordan model release after his retirement. It is noted that Michael Jordan has never played a full season of NBA Basketball wearing these sneakers. This model was created in the form of baseball cleats that Jordan used when playing minor-league baseball.Like the Air Jordan VIIs and VIII model’s, the Air Jordan IX model featured an inner sock sleeve and nubuck accents.
The sole featured different symbols and languages of different countries.The Air Jordan IX has been the shoe chosen to adorn Jordan’s feet for his statue outside of the United Center in Chicago, Illinois In popular culture, in the children’s movie The Little Rascals one of the bullies, Butch is wearing a pair of Air Jordan IX.American Rap Icon Tupac Shakur was also known to wear Air Jordans in a popular “Thug Life” photo set in 1993.
Air Jordan X
The Air Jordan X is one of the most rarely seen Jordans. They released in 1995 in 8 color ways, Steels, Shadows, Chicago Bulls*, Powder Blue (worn by UNC’s Men’s and Women’s basketball teams), Orlando Magic*, New York Knicks*, Seattle Supersonics*, and Sacramento Kings*. It was the first Air Jordan to feature a light weight phylon midsole. The shoe also featured all of Michael Jordan’s accomplishments on the outsole of the shoe.
- 85 ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
- 86 63 POINTS
- 87 SCORING TITLE
- 88 DUNK CHAMP
- 89 ALL DEFENSE
- 90 SCORES 69 POINTS
- 91 MVP/CHAMPIONSHIP
- 92 MVP/CHAMPIONSHIP
- 93 MVP/CHAMPIONSHIP
- 94 BEYOND
On January 21, 2012, the Air Jordan 10 – Chicago will make yet another guest appearance. Collectors will get a chance to add them to their collection. They are dubbed the “Chicago Bulls”, as they are part of a regional pack (City Pack) which released, representing five teams. The lacing area and tongue are also completely black, and the red inner lining goes well with the red inserts on the outsole. The outsole’s design features a striped (wavy) design, which list many of Michael’s accomplishments. They will retail at $160.
Air Jordan XI
The Air Jordan XI model was designed by Tinker Hatfield. While Jordan was still pursuing a career in baseball, Hatfield designed the shoe in hopes that Jordan would eventually wear it if he returned to the NBA.
The Jordan XI was meant to stand out with a fusion of performance and style. Copying mountaineering backpacks, the condura nylon upper gave the Air Jordan XI model lightweight durability. The most visually distinct aspect of the shoe was its shiny patent leather mid and toebox. Patent leather was lightweight, when compared to genuine leather, and also tended not to stretch as much – a useful property to help keep the foot within the bounds of the shoebed during direction changes on the court. The shiny leather gave the XI what some described as a “formal” look – a fact that many owners of the shoe took advantage of thereafter, pairing the shoe off the court with business suits in substitution for dress shoes.
These sneakers were “sampled” during the playoffs of the year of Jordan’s first return (1995). Designer Tinker Hatfield and Nike did not want Michael Jordan playing in them, however, when the sample was completed, Jordan saw it, took it, and said he wanted to wear the shoe. Nike and Hatfield hoped that he would not wear it during the playoffs against Orlando, however, when they tuned in for the game, Ahmad Rashad was holding the shoe for the cameras explaining that they were the “newest” Air Jordan. Hatfield and Nike were highly upset as the shoe was not even in production, and now they would be forced to produce it for the masses. Also to note, Jordan was in violation of the league dress code by wearing the shoes,as his teammates wore all black sneakers. He was then fined $5,000 for not respecting the Bulls colorway policy. After the fining, Nike made him a pair of the shoes in a black/white/concord colorway for the series against Orlando.
Jordan wore the Air Jordan XI model to help the Chicago Bulls claim the 1995-1996 NBA championship. The shoes received more media exposure when Michael Jordan wore the Air Jordan XI model in the 1996 Warner Bros. animated movie “Space Jam”. These shoes were eventually released in 2000 and re-retro’d in 2009 with the nickname “Space Jams”. The concord purple was changed to royal blue for the released versions of the shoe.
Air Jordan XII
The Air Jordan XII was inspired by “Nisshoki”, (the Japanese flag) and a 19th century womans’ dress boot. Initial public perception was a disappointment. However, featuring gold-plated steel lace loops, embossed lizard skin pattern and zoom air, this model set a new direction in style and technology in shoe design. Though not as light in weight as previous models, the construction and firmness of the shoe is widely considered to be the most durable and sturdy shoes from the Air Jordan line ever made.
This shoe came in 5 colorways and was released on March 13. The shoe was released on December 25, 2008 with the Eleven as the final countdown pack. In addition, the Twelve was combined with the Thirteen numbered Jordan to produce the 12.5. As of today, the 11/12 countdown package (retro) retails for $750–$800, well above the starting price of $310.
Air Jordan XIII
The Air Jordan XIII’s were released in 1997. This model was designed by Tinker Hatfield and was known for its cushioning along with allowing one’s feet to breathe while wearing them. The inspiration for the XIII’s was based on the Black Panther. Looking at the bottoms, the sole resembles the pads on a panthers paw. Also the sides on the upper are pitted just like a panthers cheeks from its whiskers. The final cue from the panther is the hologram on the back of the shoe which imitates a panther’s eyes in the dark when light is shined at them.
They were re-released in 2005, which coincided with the release of the Air Jordan XX shoe.
These were the shoes worn by Jake Shuttlesworth (Denzel Washington) in the movie He Got Game.The Jordan Brand re-released the Air Jordan 13 at the end of 2010 which included the French Blue/Flint Grey, White/Red-Black, ‘Playoff’ color way and the Black/Altitude Green color way.
Air Jordan XIV
The Air Jordan XIV (14) was released in 1998/1999. They were the last sneakers Michael Jordan wore during his second stint with the Bulls, hitting the series-winning shot in Game Six of the 1998 NBA Finals while in the XIV.Retired in style, the design was inspired by Michael’s car, the Ferrari 550 M, and was made by Tinker Hatfield together with Mark Smith. This was the first Air Jordan that would feature laces with metal tips. Something that both the XV’s and XVI’s designs also would use.
The XIV’s also began the trend of having a number of things that would count towards the model number of the shoe. On the XIV’s each shoe had seven Jumpmen, the one on the side of the shoe on a Ferrari-like shield. They could be found on the insole, sole, back, side, 2 x lacetip and front. Counting them on both shoes makes it a total of 14 Jumpmen.
Air Jordan XV
The Air Jordan XV (15) was released in 1999/2000. Reggie Miller wore it during the 2000 NBA finals.This was the first shoe after Michael’s retirement. The design of the XV’s originated from the air craft X-15 which was developed by NASA during the 1950s and was, to say the least, a bit radical.
The tongue of the shoe was sticking out in a style that very much made the owners’ thoughts go directly to Michael himself. The sides of the shoe were in a woven kevlar. The Jordan 15’s were the first Air Jordan’s to be negatively received in a while (the last being the Air Jordan 2’s), because the quality on the Jordan shoes was bad.
Air Jordan XVI
XVI’s hit the shelves in 2001.
The XVI’s were designed by Nike’s Senior Footwear Designer Wilson Smith. This meaning it was the first design since the III’s that Tinker Hatfield was not behind. Hatfield was said to have moved up and he left Smith with the hard task of creating a revolutionary new design. Smith decided to bring in a few design elements/fabrics from earlier releases. For instance they saw the return of the clear rubber sole (V, VI, XI) and also featured patent leather (XI).
What made the XVI’s unique was the brand new gaiter/shroud that covered the shoe and could be removed to give the shoe a brand new look. Not only was this for fashion purposes, it also had a thermal functionality.The shoe was said to be a little stiff and that to wear the shroud/gaiter when playing basketball really was not a good idea, as it could easily fall off. The black/red and white/midnight navy versions of the shoe both featured patent leather which very easily creased and cracked.
Air Jordan XVII
This shoe comes equipped with Keefer, which held the shoes and a compact disc containing the Air Jordan XVII song. The retail price of the shoe was $200.
The defining functional design element of the Air Jordan XVII model which was later replicated on the Air Jordan XXIII model was the reinforced midsole which provided a very sturdy and stable chassis for the shoe. They were made in four mid top colors and three lowtop colors.
Air Jordan XVIII
The Air Jordan XVIII was released in 2003 and was the shoe for Jordan’s last season, in which Jordan played for the Washington Wizards.The designer of the Air Jordan 18 was Jordan Senior Footwear Designer Tate Kuerbis, a person that had been part of the Jordan footwear design team since 1999 and with Nike since 1995.
The inspiration for the design is a combination of a number of things; Sleek racing lines of the auto world, Carbon fiber-based monocoque of F1 race cars, Race car driving shoes (rubber heel wrap) and Fine Italian dress shoes (bold stitching on the soles).
Air Jordan XIX
Released in 2004. This is the first Jordan release after his third, and final, retirement which came after the 2002-2003 NBA season. The design was inspired by the Black Mamba snake, two original colorways where released: white/flint grey and black/red. Three regional colorways and three special edition colorways were released. They consisted of the East, West, and Midwest edition for regular and West, East, and Olympic for the SE (special edition).
The Air Jordan XIX used innovative materials. The upper section of shoe was developed in collaboration with the global materials consultancy Material ConneXion, who sourced Nike a monofilament sleeving normally used in architectural applications for protecting PVC pipes from bursting. In theory, this allowed for a lace-less shoe because the sleeving does not stretch, however the Air Jordan XIX model did include a set of laces behind the sleeve to better secure the shoe. They are the lightest Air Jordans ever made.
Air Jordan XX
This revolutionary motorcycle-inspired model celebrated the legacy of Michael Jordan. Equipped with next generation IPS (independent Podular Suspension) cushion, a spherical shape and a laser etched design representing immortalized symbols of Jordan on its lace strap and interior gave this shoe a unique look and performance.
As well as being inspired by motorcycles this design was also inspired by bicycling shoes. This is why the strap was placed in the center of the shoe over the laces. It also helped to create a tighter fit and increased support.
Air Jordan XXI
The Air Jordan XXI model was designed by D’Wayne Edwards and inspired by the world’s finest sport touring vehicles. The shoe features lower-foot air grilles, double-overlasted Phylon midsole, a carbon fiber shank plate and a seamless diamond-quilted booty.
It also has an evolutionary tunable I.P.S. suspension system that lets the wearer choose between Zoom and Encapsulated air.
The Air Jordan XXI was introduced on television by the “Second Generation” advertisement.
Air Jordan XXII
The Air Jordan XX2/XXII model, designed by D’Wayne Edwards, was released on March 24, 2007. Its original retail price was $175 but has declined. The aggressive and sharp design was inspired by the F-22 Raptor fighter jet. Some technical features of the shoe include an updated visible & interchangeable I.P.S. suspension system, a new metallic mesh for ventilation, the Air Jordan camouflage pattern printed in reflective 3M, and an updated traction system, based on an army general’s stripes.
There were two special editions of the Air Jordan XX2 model released. The first edition was released for Jordan’s birthday on February 17. This edition featured authentic Jordan Brand basketball leather. The second edition was the Omega model, part of the Alpha-Omega package. This model featured a laser-etched image of Jordan after he won his sixth NBA championship in 1998.
Air Jordan XXIII
The number 23 was Michael Jordan’s number for most of his career and now 2008 marks the 23rd year of the production of the Air Jordan line. Jordan Brand, Tinker Hatfield and Michael Jordan of course teamed up to release the Air Jordan XX3 (23) shoe. The Air Jordan XX3 will be the first basketball shoe from Nike to embrace the Nike Considered design, where details in the development and design of the shoe seek to reduce waste and allow for use of environmentally preferred materials without comprising the athletic performance. The Nike Considered design ethos is one of the several company-wide corporate responsibilities that Nike Inc. has implemented to sustain long-term growth and innovation.
The Air Jordan XX3 is one of the most complex and complicated shoes of its time and much research and development went into the shoe to find the perfect look and feel. Here are some of its features seen in the shoe. An automotive quality painting process was used for the backside of the Thermo Plastic Urethane chassis is completed by an efficient robot arm to maximize the quality, consistency and durability of the paint and component. To help out with the environment, the outsole is composed of environmentally preferred materials that reduces the toxins and uses the Nike grind material from footwear outsole manufacturing waste.
One of the most important aspects of the Air Jordan 23 is its exterior and it is composed of many different materials and designs. For the upper, a newly engineered technique that uses a machine to stitch the upper in 3-D form was implemented into design. A very important aspect of the shoe is its high comfort level; a dual density sock liner offers full comfort while the recovery foam around the heel conforms to foot shapes to create a more custom fit. The reinforced quarter panels from and holds the exact shape and the breathable tongue allows air to escape, which keeps the foot cooler.
The same ingenuity and effort that went into the upper can be seen in the mid-sole/outsole. A full length Zoom Air sole unit was used to provide superior cushioning. Another noticeable feature is how light the shoe feels. Weighing in only at 15 ounces, the lightness of the shoe increases the agility and stability.The Air Jordan XX3 features some unique designs that add that special touch to the shoe. An imprint of Michael Jordan’s fingerprint is seen as the pattern on the outsole. More of Michael Jordan went into the shoe besides his fingerprint; his signature can be seen on the toecap, a nice touch added to the shoe. The hand-crafted MJ stitch pattern offers beautiful detailing and function.
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