Air Jordan XVII

The Air Jordan XVII (17) was released in 2002.

Michael joined the Washington Wizards as President of Basketball Operations in January of 2000 and selected Kwame Brown with the top overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft. On September 25th 2001 he resigned his position and instead signed a player contract.

MJ was back again!

Keeping the cover The Air Jordan XVII design was said to be inspired by three things; "the fine details from an Aston Martin, the smooth lines and flow of a jazz solo and the long Air Jordan history of innovations in style" (Jumpman23.com)

Air Jordan XVI

The Air Jordan XVI (16) was released in 2001.

Following the success of the XV's there was no doubt that Nike/JB would continue to release Air Jordan's. The XVI's were the next shoe to hit the shelfs.

Hatfield moves on 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 wasn't behind. Hatfield was said to have moved up and he left Smith with the hard task in creating a revolutionary new design.

Smith decided to bring in a few design elements/fabrics from earlier releases. For instance we saw the return of the clear rubber sole (V, VI, XI) and they also featured patent leather (XI).

Gaiter on - gaiter off But what made the XVI's unique was the brand new gaiter/shroud that covered the shoe and that could be removed to give the shoe a brand new look. Not only was this for stylish purposes, it also had a thermal functionality.

Air Jordan XV

The Air Jordan XV (15) was released in 1999/2000.

This was it. The first shoe after Michael's retirement. It could't have been easy for Nike/JB to decide to release a shoe when the athlete that was 100% connected to this product had just retired. But the decision turned out to be good.

Prada rip-off or original flying design The design of the XV's originated from the air craft X-15 which was developed by NASA during the 1950's and was, to say the least, a bit radical.

The tounge of the shoe was sticking out in a style that very much made your thoughts go directly to Michael himself and his tounge sticking out. The sides of the shoe were in a woven pattern.

Many people said this was a rip-off of a Prada shoe when it comes to the red stripe at the back of the shoe. Maybe the Prada shoes were inspiration sources for Hatfield as well, but that's very uncertain.

The slip-on Moc This time there were not only high and low-tops released but also so called Mocs. Stylish and cool to be worn in summertime or on the beach but maybe not that great to ball in.

Air Jordan XIV

The Air Jordan XIV (14) was released in 1998/1999.

This was the very last Air Jordan model that Michael would sport in NBA before his retirement. On January 13th 1999 Michael announced his retirement from the NBA basketball for the second and final(?) time.

Retired in style The design was inspired by Michaels car, the Ferrari 550 M, and was made by Tinker Hatfield together with Mark Smith. A great stylish design and a great shoe for Michael to end his NBA career in.

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.

14 = XIV The XIV's also begun the trend of having a number of things that would count towards the model# of the shoe. On the XIV's each shoe had seven jumpmans; ferrari-like shield, insole, sole, back, 2 x lacetip and front. Counting them on both shoes makes it a total of 14 (XIV) Jumpmans.

Air Jordan XIII

The Nike Air Jordan XIII was released in 1997/1998. On December 30th Jordan broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's NBA record, by scoring in double-digits for the 788th consecutive game. He also led the Bulls to their sixth NBA Championship title.

Panther paws Hatfield kept on making original designs. The XIII's featured a nice hologram on the ankle and the design was said to be inspired by a panther. The outsole with pads like a paw and circles representing whiskers.

The hologram showed the following images; - A basketball - The number 23 - The jumpman logo

Two different low-top colors were also released to the public. These without the hologram.

The Jordan 13's were also one of the best performing Jordans sneakers in the entire line. The shoes had good cushioning and were very light weight. The Jordan 13 also brags to be the most famous shoe in the line from the standpoint that its is Jordan's personal favorite.

Air Jordan XII

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 only to fall to Jordan and the Bulls. Jordan wore the Air Jordan 12’s while he took home his fifth NBA title and fifth NBA Finals MVP.

In September, 1997, Nike decided to launch a new sub-brand of Nike called Jordan Brand. The Air Jordan 12 was the first Jordan shoe to be part of the Jordan Brand collection and also did not have the Nike logo anywhere on the shoe - not even the insole. The shoes did come in a Nike box, but these were the last.

Air Jordan XI

MJ led the Bulls to All time NBA best 72 wins in the regular season, and also won the championship. Second lightest Air Jordans (XIV are the lightest). Famously known as the Space Jam Jordans. The retros are one of the most heavily sought after shoes.

The Air Jordan XI (11) was released in 1995/96.

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 Player awards for the regular season, All-Star Game and NBA Finals in the same season. He averaged 30.4 points per game and scored 40 or more points in nine games. What a come back!

Triple come back If Jordan was back, so was Tinker Hatfield. A terrific design with a new patent leather and the return of the clear rubber sole made the Air Jordan XI the most appreciated Air Jordan model ever released.

Air Jordan X

The Air Jordan X (10) was released in 1994/95.

Michaels new found baseball career was interrupted when a player strike broke out. Rumours broke out that he would return to the basketball court and on March 19th 1995 Jordan was back on the floor.

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.

Too bad for Mike (but good for all of his followers), 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 way.

Air Jordan IX

The Air Jordan IX (9) was released in 1993.

On October 6th 1993, Jordan gave the basketball world a shock when he announced his retirement from the NBA. This was just one day before Training Camp and it was not what anyone had expected at this time. The greatest basketball player of all time retiring at the age of 30. A decision probably affected by the fact that his father was murdered in North Carolina in the summer of 1993.

Multilingual The shoe being released was plain and sturdy and was the first model that Michael did not wear in an NBA seasonal game (due to the retirement). The sole had lots of details and a large 23 was stiched at the back of the shoe.

There were also words in different languages on the soles of the shoes, this is what is said;

Right shoe: dédié (french) - dedicated fuerza (spanish) - force intenso (italian) - intense liberté (french) - freedom anmutig (german) - graceful

Left shoe: спорт (russian) - sport uhuru (swahili) - independence свобода (russian) - freedom athletisch (german) - athletic muundaji (swahili) - ?????

There are also two Japanese words that reads "world" and "sport".

Air Jordan VIII

The Air Jordan VIII (8) was released in 1992/93.

The Bulls got 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. Seemed as if nothing ever could stop this high flying athlete...

Hot and heavy The eighth model of the Air Jordan was one heavy thing. 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 surprised.

The Air Jordan 8 was first retroed in 2003. Nike kept it short and sweet with the Air Jordan 8 retro release. There were only 4 colorways released in total with two mids and two lows. The Air Jordan 8 retros were one of the most anticipated retros ever released.

Air Jordan VII

The Air Jordan VII (7) was released in late 1991/early 1992.

By this time nothing could stop Michael and his confidence must have been at least 110%. The Bulls won their second straight title and he picked up a number of awards and honors. Jordan also went off to the Olympics bringing home another gold medal for the USA. This of course with the unforgettable Dream Team of '92.

Hua..., who? Hatfield created a shoe with lots of similarities with the previous model. What was unique with the VII's was that they used some of the Nike Huarache technology to create a shoe that really stuck to your foot. What also made you either frown or smile was the fact that the visible air sole, the Nike Air logo, and the yellowing soles all were gone.

When Michael went to the Olympics with the Dream Team, Nike released a special olympic color combo of the VII's. This model also featured Michael's olympic jersey number, 9 which made it very special since all of the previous models that featured his jersey number had always been either stitched or printed with the number 23.

Air Jordan VI

The Air Jordan VI (6) was released in late 1990/early 1991.

In the 90-91 season Michael added the only thing missing in his awards and titles received in the NBA. The Bulls finally won the NBA Championships beating the LA Laker's in the final. After having lost the first game they won four straight games and were without a doubt the strongest team in the NBA in a long time.

Rubber toungie What is there to say else than Hatfield created another classic. This time with a rubber tounge featuring two holes which the bearer could use to easily get the kicks on. He kept the idea with clear rubber soles and lace locks from the V's but apart from that this felt like a brand new AJ design.

Air Jordan V

The Air Jordan 5 featured a unique style cooked up by Tinker Hatfield. The Air Jordan 5 was inspired 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 Air Jordan 5 also featured an iradescent reflective tongue and lacelocks.

Yellow Soles Assist Retro SalesThough the Air Jordan 5 would sell just fine on its own, the fact that the shoes had clear rubber soles helped convince many Jordan collectors to buy a retro pair. The Air Jordan 5 soles would turn yellow over time and almost amber. The Jordan 5 is not alone with the yellow sole blues - the Jordan 6, Jordan 11, and Jordan 16 all had major parts of the soles made of clear rubber.

Air Jordan IV

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 nearly impossible for MJ to roll his ankle in these shoes. The Air 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 “Cookies & Cream” for its striking resemblence. The Air Jordan 4 was another masterpiece to the Jordan lineup.

While wearing the Air Jordan 4, Michael Jordan reached new points in his career. Taking home another scoring title with 32.5 points per game, Jordan also appeared in the All-Star Game, First Team NBA, and All-Defense. This year was arguably Jordan’s best year despite no championship.

It was in the Air Jordan 4’s that Jordan made “the shot” which was a series winning shot at the buzzer to advance the Bulls to the next round in a do or die situation.

Air Jordan III

Michael Jordan recieved his first NBA MVP award during the 87-88 NBA season, wearing the Air Jordan III. He also swept the Slam Dunk competition and led the Bulls to its best performance in the NBA's standings since the 74-75 season. Original Jordan III (1988) Original Jordan III (1988).

The Air Jordan III was released in 1988, designed by Tinker Hatfield. Totally different from the I's and II's, it was the first pair of Air Jordans that had a visible air sole. This was also the first Air Jordan to feature the Jumpman logo instead of the Wings found on the I's and II's. One of the most popular AJ's ever, it was advertised by Spike Lee as "Mars Blackmon". That commercial followed Air Jordan for a few years and became one of the most appreciated Nike commercials of all time.

The Air Jordan III (3) was released in 1988.

The 87-88 season was when Michael would receive his first NBA Most Valuable Player award. He also crushed the competition in the Slam Dunk contest and led the Bull's to their best result since the 1974-75 season. Well he actually won all the major honors one can think of.

Hatfield takes over The new shoe was excellent. The design was totally different from the AJ I and II and was the first pair of Air Jordans that showed a visible air sole. Behind it stood Tinker Hatfield who since then have designed every Air Jordan model up to the 15th.

This was also the very first Air Jordan to feature the Jumpman logotype instead of the Wings-logo that was on the I's and II's.

This might be one of the most popular Air Jordan's ever. It has won numerous polls when questioning which the greatest sneaker through all times is. Air Jordan fans also freaked out when they retroed this model in 1994. Shoe stores once again had major problems selling them though.

This campaign followed Air Jordan for a couple of years and is definately one of the most appreciated Nike commercial series through all time.

Air Jordan II

The Air Jordan II was released in 1986/87, at which time Michael Jordan averaged 37.1 ppg and became the first NBA player since Wilt Chamberlain to exceed 3,000 points in a season. During the season, Jordan set a new NBA scoring record on April 16 against the Atlanta Hawks with 61 points scored. He also played in the All-Star Game, won the Slam-Dunk Championship, and was named to the All-NBA First Team.

The Air Jordan II was designed by Bruce Kilgore, and like the I's, showed great innovation in design. The low-tops were produced in Italy, although no II's were ever designed with black leather until the Nu'Retro release in 2003 and the Black/Chrome Retro+ release in 2004. The Jordan II's were the last Air Jordan shoes to carry the Jordan Wings insignia.

The II's were retroed in 1994 in small amounts and sold very poorly, finding themselves on discount racks at Footlocker around the country.

Air Jordan I

The Air Jordan I was designed by Peter Moore and marked a new era in the design of basketball shoes. The black/red model was banned by the NBA due to NBA color rules and this actually helped to create more publicity and more interest for the shoes. Whether this was a marketing ploy from Nike or not, it helped to generate the interest that, to date, has supported nineteen different Jordan shoes, retro versions, and limited editions.

The original Air Jordan I came with a double set of laces to match the two colors of the shoe. For example, the black/red's came with one set of black laces and one set of red laces.

The white/black-red and black/red Jordan I was released as a retro in 1994 and sold very poorly, however in 2001 they released them again in patent leather and the demand was much greater. Despite the changing of the times, the Air Jordan line has managed to survive controversy and changes in fashion while producing a quality basketball shoe.

Fact: The Nike Air Jordan I is one of the most counterfeited shoes of the Air Jordan line.

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