History Of The Jordans
Shoes have always been shoes until Nike started endorsing athletics and celebrities and one of the most iconic endorsement is with the "Jumpman" Micheal Jordan. Since the coming of the famous Jordan shoes it has trended and made a name as the most selling sneaker in history according to numbers. Jordan Sneakers owns 11.8% market share in the USA.
Michael Jordan was born on February 17, 1963, in Brooklyn, New York. Jordan left college after his junior year to join the NBA. Drafted by the Chicago Bulls, he helped the team make it to the playoffs. For his efforts there, Jordan received the NBA Rookie of the Year Award. With five regular-season MVPs and three All-Star MVPs, Jordan became the most decorated player in the NBA.
Micheal Jordan was signed by the Nike in the summer of 1984.
Here is the full history of Jordans from 1984 till date.
Air Jordan I - "Notorious" - 1984-85
The Air Jordan 1 was first produced for Michael Jordan in 1984. It was designed by Peter C. Moore. The red and black colorway of the Nike Air Ship, the prototype for the Jordan 1, was later outlawed by NBA Commissioner David Stern for having very little white on them. It is a common misconception that the Jordan 1 was banned however, it was indeed the Nike Air Ship. After the Nike Air Ship was banned, Michael Jordan and Nike introduced the Jordan 1 in color ways with more white such as the "Chicago" color way and the "Black Toe" color way. They used the Nike Air Ship's banning as a promotional tool in advertisements hinting that the shoes gave an unfair competitive advantage for the Jordan 1 and that whoever wore them had a certain edginess associated with outlaw activities.
The Air Jordan I was originally released on the market from 1985 to 1986. Then retro-ed in 1994, 2001–2004, and 2007–2017.
Air Jordan II "Italian Stalion" - 1987
The success of the Air Jordan 1 encouraged Nike to release the New Air Jordan in 1986 for the new basketball season. Designed by Peter Moore and Bruce Kilgore, the original Air Jordan II was unique in that it was made in Italy giving the shoe a luxury feel. The Air Jordan 2 also retailed with a full length encapsulated Nike air bubble for maximum comfort. The Air Jordan 2 was the first Jordan not to have the Nike swoosh on the upper. The Air Jordan II was originally retailed at $100. The Air Jordan was originally released from 1986 to 1987. The model was revived from obscurity when Air Jordan collaborated with Just Don to create the Just Don x Air Jordan 2.
Air Jordan III "Gotta Be the Shoes" - 1988
The Air Jordan III was designed by Tinker Hatfield who works for Nike as a designer for stores and offices. By that time Michael Jordan was ready to leave Nike, but the Jordan III changed his mind. 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 to give it a luxury look. The Air Jordan III was 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 the "Mars and Mike" ad campaign, which was one of Nike's most successful advertisement campaigns. These were the first Jordan's 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 events in his basketball career. The Air Jordan III's had poor sales when first reintroduced in 1994. On their second reintroduction in 2001, they sold well. The "Fire Red" Air Jordan III was released in March 2007, and late again in 2013.
In 2007, Jordan Brand collaborated with director Spike Lee to release a limited pair of Air Jordan III's the Do The Right Thing movie poster. The same year also saw the reintroduced versions of the Air Jordan III's in two monotone colorways, all black and all white, nicknamed the "Black Cats" and the "Pure Moneys" respectively. 2007 also had the "Flips" which moved the elephant print from the trim to the entire shoe and replacing it with white leather, indeed "Flipping" the original design of white leather with elephant print trim.
In 2009, the Jordan Brand reintroduced the highly sought after Air Jordan III in the True Blue colorway. It was an international-only release, meaning they were not sold in the US. In 2011, the brand released a Black History Month (BHM) Air Jordan III 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 III was a very limited release and there was said to have been no more than 3,000 pairs made. Also, the same year saw the release of the "True Blue" III on June 4. The Stealth colorway of the III was released in September and the Black Cements were released in November.[4] The "Black Flips" were released on December 3, 2011. In 2013, Jordan released a special edition of the Jordan III this shoe was deemed the Air Jordan III "Retro '88" White Cement and were released in February.
The Air Jordan III was originally released in 1988. The multiple retros and new colorways have been released in 1994, 2001, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014 and 2016.
Air Jordan IV "Taking Flight" - 1989
In 1989, Nike released the Air Jordan IV to the public. Designed by Tinker Hatfield, it was the first Air Jordan released on the global market. It had four colorways: White/ Black-Cement Grey, Black/Cement Grey, White/Fire Red-Black, and Off White/Military Blue.
Nike featured director and actor Spike Lee in ads for AJ IV. Lee had featured the shoe in his movie Do The Right Thing. The Air Jordan Bordeaux "Spiz'ike IV" was made to commemorate Lee's friendship with Michael Jordan.
The Air Jordan IV was on Jordan's feet when he made "The Shot," a series winner in Game 5 of the 1989 NBA First Round between the Chicago Bulls and the Cleveland Cavaliers. In 2012 a Cavalier colorway dubbed the "Cavs" was released to honor "The Shot."
The Air Jordan IV was re-released in 1999 and retroed in 2000, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010–2013 and 2015–2017. Recent retroed colorways are the Retro 4 "Legend Blue", "Oreo" in early 2015, and the Retro 4 OG "Cement" that released on February 13, 2016.
Air Jordan V "The Fighter" - 1990
The Air Jordan V was released in February 1990, designed by Tinker Hatfield again. Some elements were carried over from the Air Jordan IV, but overall they were a completely new look. Some of its new features were a reflective tongue, translucent rubber soles and lace locks. The soles gave them a new look, but it yellowed over time when exposed to moisture and were the source of many complaints early on due to the slippery nature of the soles when collecting dust.
Hatfield is believed to have drawn inspiration for the Air Jordan V from World War II fighter planes, which was most notably visible in the shark teeth shapes on the midsole. The Air Jordan V was reintroduced in 2000, including a new color way featuring Michael Jordan's high school (Laney High) colors. In 2006 several V's were reintroduced, including the LS "Grape" V's, the LS "burgundy" V's, the "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.
In the month of May 2009, Air Jordan confirmed the release of an "DMP II" consisting of two Air Jordan V's. The second color way features a 3M material base with black laces and midsole. The retail price was $310.
The Air Jordan V was originally released in 1990. It was retroed in 2000, 2006–2009, 2011 and 2013–2017.
The Air Jordan V saw a lot of use in popular sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. During many episodes you can see Will Smith wearing the 'metallic silver', 'grape', and 'fire red' colorway. To pay tribute to his character, Jordan released the Air Jordan 5 Bel Air in 2013.
Air Jordan VI - "Promised Land" - 1991
The Air Jordan VI had a new design by Tinker Hatfield and released in 1991. The Original 5 colorways were: Black/Infrared, White/Infrared, White/ Carmine-Black, White/Sport Blue, and Off White/Maroon. The Air Jordan VI introduced a reinforcement around the toe, It had two holes in the tongue, and a molded heel tab on the back of the sneaker (demanded by Jordan so it wouldn't hit his Achilles tendon). Like the Air Jordan V this sneaker also had Clear rubber/"Icy" Soles. The Air Jordan VI was the last Air Jordan to feature the Nike Air logo on it.
Later that year the Bulls defeated the Lakers in the 1991 NBA Finals, with Jordan (wearing the Black/Infrared) named as the most valuable player. That was also the first NBA Championship won by Jordan and the Bulls. The Jordan VI was also seen in the film White Men Can't Jump, which was produced in 1991 and released one year later.
The Air Jordan VI has been retro-ed many times since its original release in 1991, Notable releases were in 2000, 2002, 2005, 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2014 with the Black Infrared Colorway.
In addition to a Porsche-inspired rear pull tab and visible air the Air Jordan VI was the first Jordan with an inner bootie.
The Air Jordan VI was originally released in 1991. It was retro-ed in 2000, 2002, 2006, 2008–2010, 2012 and 2014–2017.
The Air Jordan VI saw much of screen time in 2015's Creed. Adonis Johnson (Michael B. Jordan) can be seen sporting the black/infrared and the white/varsity red-black colorway through most of the movie, most notably during the training montage before the big fight that Rocky films are known for.
The VI was the first shoe used by the protagonist of Slam Dunk, Hanamichi Sakuragi. Nike released special versions of both the VI and the Jordan Super.Fly 3 featuring artwork from the series in 2014. The VI also had Sakuragi's number 10 embroidered on the side of the heels. Various other models in the Air Jordan line are featured in the series, including the original (which Sakuragi eventually switched to), the V, and the XII (both worn by Sakuragi's rival, Kaede Rukawa).
Air Jordan VII "Pure Gold" - 1992
The Air Jordan VII was released in 1992 with a new design by Tinker Hatfield. This shoe introduced the huarache technology which allowed the shoes to better conform to the user's foot. A few things were no longer featured on the new model, such as the visible air sole, the Nike Air logo, and the yellowing soles. 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" branding was still on the in-soles, which Air Jordans VIII-XI also had. The VIIs were also known for a successful ad campaign in which Bugs Bunny appeared alongside Michael Jordan to market the shoes.
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 had Jordan's Olympic jersey number, 9 even though most of the jordans that were made, especially the Air Jordan VII had a "23" on the back.
Various models of the Air Jordan VII were re-released in 2002, again in 2004, and again with different colors in 2006. Also in 2008 Nike released a black and blue pair owned only by Cheikh Mbacké, ordered for $600.
In 2011 the Air Jordan VII saw releases in the "Orion" and "Bordeaux" colorways. Other colorways are confirmed for a 2011 release as well, such as the "Cardinals" which is a re-release and "Year of the Rabbits". The "Olympic" and "Charcoal" (commonly referred to as Raptors) were re-released in 2012.
The Air Jordan VII was originally released in 1992. It was retro-ed in 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008–2012 and 2015–2017.
Air Jordan VIII - "Strap In" - 1993
The Air Jordan VIII was originally released in 1993. It was retro-ed in 2003, 2007, 2008, 2013 and 2015–2017.
Air Jordan IX - "Perfect Harmony" - 1994
Originally released in November 1993, the Air Jordan IX model was the first model released after Michael Jordan's retirement. Jordan never played an NBA season wearing these shoes. This model was inspired by baseball cleats that Jordan wore when playing minor-league baseball.
Like the VII and VIII models, the Air Jordan IX 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.
In popular culture, in the children's movie The Little Rascals one of the bullies, Butch is wearing a pair of these shoes. American rap icon Tupac Shakur also wore Air Jordans in a popular "Thug Life" photo set in 1993.
The Air Jordan IX was originally released from 1993 to 1994. It was retro-ed in 2002, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014–2016.
Air Jordan X - "The Legacy Continues" - 1995
This was released in 1995 in 8 different colors, Black/grey, varsity-black, off-white/black/varsity red*, 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 lightweight phylon midsole. The shoe also featured all of Michael Jordan's accomplishments on the outsole of the shoe.
In 2012, the Air Jordan X was re-released. They are dubbed the "Chicago Bulls", as they are part of a regional pack (City Pack), representing five teams. The lacing and tongue are completely black, and the red inner lining contrasts with the red inserts on the outsole. The outsole's design features a striped (wavy) design, which list many of Jordan's accomplishments. They retailed at $160. The Air Jordan X was released again in an OVO collaboration in 2015 and 2016, releasing in white and black colorways respectively with stingray detailing.
The Air Jordan X was originally released from 1994 to 1995. It was retro-ed in 2005, 2008 and 2012–2016.
Air Jordan XI:"Class Act" - 1996
This model was designed by Tinker Hatfield. When the shoe launched, Michael Jordan (retired from basketball by then) was trying in minor baseball leagues. Hatfield designed the sneaker waiting for Jordan to come back and hoping he would play in them.
The ballistic mesh upper of the sneaker was meant to make the Air Jordan XI lighter and more durable than the past sneakers. Further changes came with the use of a carbon fiber spring plate in the clear out sole, giving the shoe better torque when turning on the court. The highlight and arguably most well-known aspect of the shoe is the patent leather mudguard. Patent leather was lightweight, when compared to genuine leather, and also tended not to stretch as much – a property to help keep the foot within the bounds of the shoe bed during direction changes on the court. The patent leather gave the XI a "formal" look. When this shoe released, some wore this model with business suits instead of dress shoes.
The sneakers were only samples in 1995 when Jordan decided to come back in the NBA. Hatfield and Nike discouraged Michael Jordan playing in them, but when produced he wore them. Also noteworthy, Jordan violated league dress code by wearing the shoes, as his teammates wore all black shoe. He was fined $5,000 for not following 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. A similar black/white/royal blue colorway was released to the public at the end of 2000. The colorway was changed for the public release because the concord purple had looked like royal blue on TV.
Jordan wore the Air Jordan XI model to help the Chicago Bulls claim the 1995–96 NBA Championship, he also wore the Air Jordan XI white Columbia colorway in the 1996 NBA All-Star Game and was selected MVP of the game. The shoes received more media exposure when Michael Jordan wore the Air Jordan XI model in the 1996 animated movie Space Jam. These shoes were eventually released in 2000 and re-released in 2009 with the nickname Space Jams. The concord purple was changed to royal blue for the released versions of the shoe.
The Air Jordan XI was originally released from 1995 to 1996. It was retro-ed in 2000, 2001, 2003, and 2006–2017. The Air Jordan XI is the most popular Air Jordan's in the series, and has released almost ritualistically every December since 2008 and sells out within minutes, also it is Tinker Hatfield's favorite. With the Air Jordan XI being the most popular Jordan supply used to be very limited and would cause fans to line up outside of store fronts before releases.
Air Jordan XII: "The Dynasty Continues" - 1997
The Air Jordan XII was inspired by Nisshoki (the Japanese flag), and a 19th-century women dress boot. However, featuring gold-plated steel lace loops, embossed lizard skin pattern and a full length zoom air unit with a carbon fiber shank plate, this model set a new direction in style and technology in shoe design. Though not as light 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. The first model released after the creation of subsidiary Jordan Brand, the Air Jordan XII has no Nike branding on it of any kind, while all the models before it have Nike Air or other Nike branding outwardly (Air Jordans I-VI) or just simply on the insoles (Air Jordans VII-XI). This shoe came in 5 colorways and was released on March 13. The shoe was re-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 US$750–US$800, well above the starting price of US$310. The Air Jordan 12 has been subject to many highly limited colorways recently such as the Air Jordan 12 x PSNY collaboration, the Wings colorway that was limited to 12,000 pairs, and the OVO collaboration.
The Air Jordan XII was originally released from 1996 to 1997. It was retro-ed in 2003, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2011–2013, and 2015–2017.[13]
Air Jordan XIII: "Black Cat Pounces" - 1998
In the movie He Got Game, the Air Jordan XIII was worn by Jake Shuttlesworth (Denzel Washington). Ray Allen, who played Jake's son Jesus in the film, wore them when he broke Reggie Miller's all-time record for made three-point shots during a game against the Lakers in Boston during the 2011 season. The Jordan Brand re-released the Air Jordan XIII 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.
The Air Jordan XIII was originally released from 1997 to 1998. It was retro-ed in 2004, 2005, 2008, 2010–2015, and 2017.
Air Jordan XIV: "Race Ready" - 1999
The Air Jordan XIV co-styled by the famous Tinker Hatfield and Mark Smith was made race ready and equipped with the Jordan Jumpman insignia on a Ferrari shaped badge. In addition, these shoes include breathable air ducts on the outer sole. The color scheme of predominant black accentuated with red was nicknamed "The Last Shot" because Michael Jordan wore them as he hit the game winning shot over Bryon Russell, of the Utah Jazz, in his final game with the Chicago Bulls in the 1998 NBA Finals.
There are 14 Jumpman logos on Air Jordan XIV's—7 on each shoe—corresponding the shoes' number in the series. They can be found in the following places:
- Near the toebox x 1
- Shield Logo near the achilles heel x 1
- Above the number "23" at the heel x 1
- At the bottom sole (middle part) x 1
- Steel Lacetips x 2
- Insoles x 1
This was the first shoe after Jordan's retirement. The design of the XV's originated from the aircraft prototype X-15, which was developed by NASA during the 1950s. The sides of the XV were made from woven kevlar fibre. The Jordan XV'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.[14]
The Air Jordan XV was originally released from 1999 to 2000. It was retro-ed in 2007, 2008 and 2017.
Air Jordan XVI: "Marching On" - 2001
Unique to the Air Jordan XVI was a gaiter/shroud that covered the shoe and could be removed to give the shoe a new look. Not only was this for fashion purposes, it also had a thermal functionality.
The shoe was said to be stiff and that the shroud/gaiter could easily fall off when playing basketball. The black/red and white/midnight navy versions of the shoe both featured patent leather which very easily creased and cracked.[15]
The Air Jordan XVI was originally released in 2001. It was retro-ed in 2008, 2014 and 2016.
- AJ XVII:
This pair of Jordan's come equipped with Keefer, which held the shoes and a compact disc containing the Air Jordan XVII song. The retail price of the shoe was US$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 mid-sole which provided a sturdy and stable chassis for the shoe. They were made in four mid top colors and three low-top colors.
The Air Jordan XVII was originally released in 2002. It was retro-ed in 2008 and 2016.
- AJ XVIII:
The shoe was designed by Air 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 came from a number of things; sleek racing lines of the auto world, carbon fibre-based monocoque of F1 race cars, race car driving shoes (rubber heel wrap) and Fine Italian dress shoes (bold stitching on the soles).
The Air Jordan XVIII was originally released from 2003 to 2004. It was retro-ed in 2008.
- AJ XIX:
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 sleeving normally used in architectural applications for protecting PVC pipes from bursting. In theory, this allowed for a shoe without laces, because the sleeving does not stretch. Nonetheless, 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.[citation needed]
The Air Jordan XIX was originally released in 2004. It was retro-ed in 2008.
- AJ XX:
The Air Jordan XX was originally released in 2005. It was retro-ed in 2008 and 2015.
- AJ XXI:
The Air Jordan XXI was introduced on television by the "Second Generation" advertisement.
The Air Jordan XXI was originally released in 2006. It was retro-ed in 2008.
- AJ XX2:
Two special editions of the Air Jordan XX2 model were 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.
An entirely new line of Air Jordan XX2/XXII shoes called the released, with these shoes worn by NBA players from the Atlanta Hawks, Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, and Dallas Mavericks. This Air Jordan model featured a new strap around the heel and ankle.
The promo commercial for the XX2 was directed by Mark Romanek.[16]
The Air Jordan XX2 was originally released in 2007. It was retro-ed in 2008.
- AJ XX3:
The Air Jordan XX3 was originally released in 2008. It was retro-ed in 2015–2016.
- AJ 2009:
The Air Jordan 2009 was originally released in 2009. It has not been retro-ed.
- AJ 2010:
The base of the each mid-sole has stylized text that when combined reads: "I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed." This quote was originally attributed to Michael Jordan, and is a reference to an advertising campaign that aired in 1997 with Jordan detailing his failures that led to his success in his career.
The Air Jordan 2010 was originally released in 2010. It has not been retro-ed.
- AJ 2011:
The 2011 has a unique design along both sides of the shoe. It is a star-constellation pattern that also serves as breathing holes for the shoe to keep it well ventilated. It uses Patina Leather wrapped around the shoe. The shoes are hand burnished and crafted. A dress shoe feel similar to the XI was reported to be the goal. o The Air Jordan 2011 was originally released in 2011. It has not been retro-ed.
- AJ 2012:
The Air Jordan 2012 was originally released in 2012. It has not been retro-ed.
- AJ XX8:
- AJ XX9:
- AJ XXX:
- AJ XXXI
Well that was for this blog waiting for this years Joran XXXIII hope it will blow our minds
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That was for this blog see you on the next one sneaker heads see you on the next one
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