For the 25th anniversary of the Air Jordan 11 model, we prepared some fun and interesting facts about this basketball shoe and about the person who made them iconic.
1.
25 years ago, a shoe designer Tinker Hatfield was hard at work behind the scenes crafting something very special.
Michael Jordan retired in 1993 and the Nike brand was planning to discontinue the Jordan brand, but Tinker hoped and believed that MJ would someday make a return to the court. 🤞
And his gut feeling was right. After the “I’m back” announcement in March 1995, the Air Jordan XI was getting ready to shock everyone, including the GOAT himself. When he first saw them, he couldn’t get the word out! With its shiny look and advanced technologies, the sneaker remains Hatfield’s favorite Jordan model.
2.
In 1995, MJ comes back after retirement and wears Air Jordan Xs until the end of the regular season and in the first round of Playoffs. But the Eastern Conference Semifinals had been promising a great show as the Bulls faced Orlando Magic with star players like Shaquille O’Neil, Anfernee Hardaway, Nick Anderson and Horrace Grant.
Even though the shoes were only an unfinished sample then, MJ couldn’t wait to wear them. It was May 7 when he walked on the court wearing the white shiny Air Jordan 11 Concords and everyone was blown away. (He was also fined $5000 by the NBA for not respecting their rules about wearing all black shoes. 🤷♂️)
3.
What made (and still makes) the 11 so great? Looking back, it was definitely a combination of never-before-seen design combined with the perfect storm of MJ mania, and one of the greatest seasons ever put together by a professional franchise.
4.
During the All-Star game in San Antonio in 1996, MJ reestablished himself as the best player in the world. 🔥 With 20 points, 4 rebounds, and a shooting percentage of 73%, he returned to the center stage. On his feet, the spectators could admire a new colorway of his AJ11s, the Columbias, which featured bright white upper and a translucent blue outsole.
5.
The NBA season 1995-96 was a perfect one for Michael Jordan.
🏆 The Bulls finished the regular season with an unprecedented 72-10 record, 87-13 combined with postseason which is the best record in the history of the NBA. They also won the Championship.
🥇 MJ led the league in scoring for the 8th season.
🏆 He was also the second player in history to win all three MVP awards in one season: the All-Star MVP, regular-season MVP, and Finals MVP.
All this, wearing the AJXIs!
6.
Air Jordan XI “Bred” were the only shoes MJ wore during the 1996 Playoffs. The first time he wore them was April 26, when the entire Bulls team was wearing black shoes and black socks to seem more intimidating. Jordan was averaging crazy 30.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 4.1 assists in these playoffs!
The last time he laced them up was in Game 6 against the Sonics when they secured the title. The game was played on Father’s Day and after winning, the Finals MVP resorted to the locker room where he let go of everything and broke down in tears (second photo). This was the first title that he won without his father by his side. 😓
7.
An iconic movie deserves an iconic sneaker! 🎥
In the 1996 movie Space Jam with Michael Jordan in the leading role, he was wearing a special colorway of the Air Jordan 11 dubbed Space Jam.
☝️ Interesting fact: the 2000 Space Jam retro release dropped on a Wednesday, December 13, but kids skipping school and mid-term exams to stand in line drew angry phone calls from parents. This resulted in Air Jordan releases primarily taking place on Saturdays now. 😅
8.
The first time that the “Cool Grey” colorway was introduced to the Air Jordan signature line and to the Air Jordan 11 model was in the year 2001 when Jordans were making their first retro run. At that time, MJ was playing for the Washington Wizards, proving that he indeed is the greatest, averaging 22.7 points, 5.2 assists, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game at the age of 38! 🔥
9.
When MJ saw the AJXI model for the first time, he couldn’t find a word to express his enthusiasm. The first real sentence that he said was, “People are going to be wearing these with tuxedos.”
The designer, Tinker Hatfield, just brushed this comment off.
But, about 3 months later, Boyz II Men showed up at the Oscars, all wearing Air Jordan XIs with tuxedos. Michael called the Tinker up that night, and said, “See, I told you so.” and laughed.
Tinker: “You probably paid those guys, didn’t you?”
MJ said: “No way! They did it on their own.”
The AJXI model sort of developed a life of its own, it transcended basketball a little bit and ended up in modern culture and music history.
10.
