Air Jordan 12 will always hold a special position in the minds and hearts of all real sneakerheads.
There are many reasons for this, and in addition to their historical significance (MJ wore them during the 1996-97 season when he won his fifth NBA title) everyone also remembers their elegant look and the fact it ushered in some significant technological advances in comparison to earlier models.
Perhaps it is best to continue with this technological dimension: the Twelves are the first sneakers from the Jordan series in which full length Zoom Air was used – under the entire foot! Additionally, the midsole consists of Phylon and includes a carbon fiber shank plate for support. The sole is mainly a traditional “herringbone” pattern whose well-known virtues really don’t need to be written about too much. Next, we should definitely point out the excellent, premium leather used for the entire upper because in the context of technology, it represents superior support and safety for the foot.
Of course, this leather is also the main design feature, as most sneakerheads will agree that the shoes have a unique look because of it. The AJ12 has a lot of interesting details that we will mention soon, but they actually just barely stand out so that the first impression would be defined by the upper and leather portions on lateral and medial sides, which together symbolize rays of sun. Designer Tinker Hatfield was inspired by the Japanese “Rising Sun” flag and the way he transferred it to the sneaker is truly impressive. One of the more interesting details can certainly be seen on the tongue with the TWO 3 inscription and the Jumpman logo. Here, it is also definitely worth highlighting the two upper eyelets that are different from the rest since they also have the Jumpman logo. Speaking of Jumpman as one of the foundations of the brand, it should be pointed out that with the release of 12s Jordan Brand became a separate Nike sub-entity. This has, among other things, brought about the fact that the twelfth Jordan flagship model does not have the Swoosh logo on it at all.
An additional historical fact about the Air Jordan 12 “Playoffs” colorway that is coming soon to our store is that they did not have their premiere in the post-season, but a bit earlier. Jordan wore them at the All-Star Game for the first time and recorded the first ever triple-double in the history of All-Star competition! Despite this achievement, the MVP of the game was not him as that honor went to Glen Rice who set All-Star records for the most points in a quarter (20) and halftime (24). In case you forgot or maybe didn’t know, the venue of the game was the same as this year – Cleveland – and even then the whole event was also special as it celebrated the 50th birthday of the NBA while this year will mark the 75th anniversary of the league. Then came the playoffs in which he dominated, but where he also wore the iconic “Flu game / Bred” colorway. However, for the sixth and decisive game of the finals, MJ opted for the black and white “Playoffs” colorway. Just how dominant the Bulls were is best seen in the fact that they lost only 4 games in 4 series on the way to the championship.
The sneaker was originally available in 5 colorways and only in a high-top version, but since then there have been a number of re-releases with new color combinations and even a low-top version. Sneakerheads are certainly looking forward to the comeback of the OG “Playoffs” colorway so be sure to follow our website and social media for more release details! Given that this colorway had only had two re-releases so far (2004 and 2012), we suggest you better be quick ;D