The all-time King of Basketball turned 49 today and I have done a little tribute post just for Mr 23, collating some of my favorite photos, sneakers, and MJ moments :) …. Enjoy!
Professional Basketball player, Father, Olympic Athlete, Baseball player, Golfer, Business Entrepreneur, Actor, Part owner of the Charlotte Bobcats, and not forgetting THE Mr Air Jordan himself…Even his biography on the NBA’s website states, “By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time.” – true story.
Lemon’s Top 5 Jordan’s …(in no particular order)
I
In 1985, Nike gave Jordan and his signature line of sneakers and apparel a unique logo — who knew it would blow up like it did and still be going strong all these years later! Designed by Peter More, the Air Jordan I was considered a breakthrough in basketball show design. The Air Jordan I has been the most reproduced Air Jordan with over 96 colorways!
III
I’m going to sound like a stereo type Jordan-head now, however I still buzz off the elephant print too much to push these babies under the rug! Michael wore the AJ III at the All Star weekend in 1988 where he won the Slam Dunk title which makes them extra special to me. They were also the first Air Jordan to feature the new Jumpman logo. There are various colour-ways but the Black Cement has to be my favourite. They look suave so I can pull them off at work with a smart skirt ;) Tinker Hatfield did a good fine job designing these.
IV
My Personal Favouite, and as you can see I’ve got more to say on these than any other Retro J….
In 1989, following the success of the III, Tinker Hatfield delivered one of the most comfortable, most-loved Air Jordan’s in the series, the Air Jordan IV. Tinker really switched up the design on these making them a landmark in basket ball shoe history, and a ‘Holy Grail’ sneaker for so many Jordan heads (including me!)
Spike Lee created the Can/Can’t TV commercial to promote the Jordan IVs, and still one of my favourite adverts. The IV Cement was also featured in Spike Lee’s movie “Do The Right Thing” in a scene where the character “Buggin Out” goes sick at a cyclist who accidently runs over his kicks leaving them scuffed! Dayam!
The Air Jordan IV is one of the most collected shoes in the series. Ten years after its original release, Nike retro’d the AJ IV in 1999; it sold out immediately, lets see how to White Cement IVs go down tomorrow on their epic re-release date!
My favourite IV’s are the “Mars Blackmons” colour-way with White/Red/Black with Spike Lee’s alter ego MARS on the heel, picture courtesy of me and my feet ;)
IX
In 1996 Hatfield designed the Jordan XI. Even though Michael was still perusing his baseball career, Hatfield had hoped that Jordan would wear them if he returned to the NBA, which he did. Michael also wore the black/varsity royal/white versions in the Space Jam movie which gave this colour-way their ‘Space Jam’ nickname.
The IX was voted to best sneaker of all time by ‘Sole Collector’ Magazine and is one of the most loved Jordan’s around the world. On 23rd December 2011 I copped my Concords just in time for Christmas however there was a massive storm/rush for the sneaks all over the world on release day. There were reports from the States of Malls being looted hours before opening time and people getting arrested…. All over a pair of sneakers! I think that puts the demand and love for the XIs into perspective a bit.
Air Jordan Spiz’ike
The Air Jordan Spiz’ike was created to commemorate Spike Lee during the Mars Blackmon Era and combines the best elements from the Jordan 3, 4, 5, 6, and 20 and was first released in October 2006.
Spiz’ikes are like a mashup of the Retro Jordan’s and takes a slice of cake from each of the following Air Jordans:
Air Jordan 3 – sole, midsole, and “Spike”/elephant print
Air Jordan 4 – “wings” on the sides of the shoes that hold lace loops
Air Jordan 5 – main silhouette of the shoes, netting on the side, and lace locks
Air Jordan 6 – tongue of shoes
Air Jordan 20 – Lasered graphics on sockliner
SPACE JAM!
Not much text required really…. [insert childhood Looney Tunes memory here]
Also – If you haven’t already seen the Nike ‘History of Flight’ website, I suggest you go look now! A fun, Interactive website with dope graphics, facts about ‘The Man, The Moments, The Shoes, The Stories’.
Did you wear your Jay’s today?
Send us your photos via Twitter to @bigeyeslittlesoles
Jordan’s on my feet keep my cypher complete!
Peace & LOVE!
