The Air Jordan XI dropped in time for the 1995-96 season. It’s been so popular that the Jordan brand began re-releasing it as the Retro 11 in 2000, including as an annual holiday tradition since 2008. But MJ gave the world its initial peek at the shoe when he busted it out for Chicago’s playoff matchup against Orlando in May of 1995.
Of form and function
Tinker Hatfield designed the “11,” his ninth consecutive signature sneaker for MJ. He’d continued designing the line even after MJ disappeared to baseball from October 1993 to March 1995, just knowing in the back of his mind that His Airness would return.
So Tinker gave him a shoe worthy of such a return.
Cutting weight while maintaining strength for high-performance output was the theme throughout. The ballistic mesh upper replaced the leather overlays of previous models, and a carbon fiber torsion bar under the midfoot replaced the heavier plastic version.
And while the translucent outsole added a frosty look, the most iconic update to the 11 came on the foxing around the upper, as patent leather made its debut in the basketball world. Known to be lighter and stronger than traditional leather, it added a premium look that has earned it a place on the feet of sneakerheads even in wedding parties.
Wearing history
Most of MJ’s signature sneakers mark pages from the story of his career. There’s the Retro 3 of 1988, which introduced elephant print to the Jordan line. And the Retro 4 reps the shoe that was on MJ’s feet when he hit “The Shot” to beat Cleveland in the playoffs.
The Retro 11 is no different. That 1995-96 season was historic for MJ’s team, which went 72-10 on it way to a fourth championship. And Jordan became just the second player in league history to pull an MVP triple crown, earning the honor for the all-star game, the regular season, and the finals.
There are other ways to represent this historic shoe. Browse and shop a variety of short- and long-sleeve T-shirts. Fleece pants and pullover hoodies feature multicolored design elements that hook up to any Jordan Retro colorway. And they’re all available in sizes for men, women, and kids.
