The Air Jordan Legacy-Part 2 of 5

Nike went in yet another new direction with the AJVIII and MJ and his shoe line received international exposure at the 92 Summer Olympics. He garnered even more attention for himself and Nike when he led the Bulls to a ' 3-Peat ' in his Jordan VIIIs. The only Air Jordan that has ever and most likely will ever feature straps is the VIII; supposed to give more support and fit better this was a brand new design concept for the AJs. The lightweight Huarache-like upper was gone while the inner bootie remained and a color splash was added was added near the heel. Detail lovers need to take notice of the carpet surrounding the Jumpman logo on the tongue and ' 23 ' chooses on the strap plus they should recognize that this shoe was only produced in 3 colorways (onefor the NBA season and one for the Olympics).

The Air Jordan IX was a departure from what had come before. Described by many as a ' moon boot ' it was initially to hate it or love it shoe and of course it's controversial as the shoe that Michael himself never actually wore during his basketball playing days until his third and final comeback (in retro form). While the inner bootie was maintained there was also a new innovation when the designer added ' speed-lacing ' laceloops to Air Jordans for the first time in their history so this model kept some comfort and created some convenience. Two style features were introduced: reflective speckles on the upper gave it some flash and a touch of foreign languages and a globe intermixed with the numbers ' 23 ' and ' 1994 ' added some class. Althoughthe experiMental moon boot design scared a few people off at the time it did feature a solid materials mix of leather, nubuck and mesh that kept in grounded in the basics.

With the release of the AJX both Nike and Michael Jordan turned the page in their collective history. The Air Jordan X has been labelled the ' reTireMent shoe ' by some as it collected and recorded MJ's accomplishMents in the shoe like a list of nostalgic memories.

The Air Jordan Legacy-Part 2 of 5

The Air Jordan Legacy-Part 2 of 5

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The Air Jordan Legacy-Part 2 of 5

The Air Jordan Legacy-Part 2 of 5

It did have some special characteristics however that made it stand out; for example added to the unusual feel of the shoe as an atypical basketball shoe was an upper of full grain leather and suede that gave it a classical and elegant look and feel. Given the special materials and envelope-pushing colorways to match NBA team uniforms (onlythe Bulls colors sold well) the AJX has carved out a niche as a distinct shoe and not just the ' reTireMent ' model Jordan.

Nike must have been feeling the pressure to perform a bit and the mood may have been hesitant prior to the release of the Air Jordan XI however Nike and Michael would eventually answer all their critics in resounding fashion. The AJXI really is an instant classic and high on the top of almost everybody's favourite Jordan list quite simply because it performs great and looks even better. One of the biggest reasons is the introduction of patent leather for the first time with the combination of black patent leather combined with a crystal clear Sun on the Space Jam athletic shoe model taking the world by storm. The combination of patent leatherbalanced out by nylon mesh on the upper made for a performance sneaker that was both attractive and functional. Besides the superb design and materials of the XI there were also practical considerations such as the cutting edge carbon fiber shank plate for added bounce and support and the patented Nike Air torsion to add cushioning to the heel and forefoot. This model Air Jordan was also a massive hit as a Back especially the aforementioned Space Jam in its amazing colorway.

After the massive success of the AJXIs, ' what can we do for an encore? ' Nike must have been thinking. Enter the Air Jordan XII.

The Air Jordan Legacy-Part 2 of 5