Air Jordan XI

 

The Air Jordan XI model was designed by Tinker Hatfield. While Jordan was still pursuing a career in baseball, Hatfield designed the shoe in hopes that Michael would eventually wear it if he returned to the NBA.

The Jordan XI was meant to stand out with a fusion of performance and style. Taken from the world of high-end mountaineering backpacks, the condura nylon upper gave the Air Jordan XI model lightweight durability. Further innovation came with the use of a carbon fiber plate on the sole of the shoe, that can be seen underneath the clear outsole, which gave the shoe exceptional torsional rigidity. The most visually distinct aspect of the shoe was its shiny patent leather mid and toebox. A material long used in the fashion industry, patent leather was extremely lightweight, when compared to genuine leather, and also tended not to stretch - a very useful property to help keep the foot within the bounds of the shoebed during quick direction changes on the court. The shiny leather gave the XI what many described as a "formal" look - a fact that many owners of the shoe took advantage of thereafter, pairing the shoe off the court with business suits in substitution for dress shoes. Boyz II Men wore black and white Air Jordan XI shoes with white suits at one of their concerts.

The most interesting part of these sneakers is that they were "sampled" during the playoffs of the year of Jordan's first return (1995). Designer Tinker Hatfield and Nike did not want Michael Jordan playing in them, however, when the sample was completed, Jordan saw it, took it, and said he wanted to wear the shoe. Nike and Hatfield hoped that he would not wear it during the playoffs against Orlando, however, when they tuned in for the game, Ahmad Rashad was holding the shoe for the cameras explaining that they were the "newest" Air Jordan. Hatfield and Nike were highly upset as the shoe wasn't even in production, and now they would be forced to produce it for the masses. The decision turned out to be a good one, as it can be considered one of the most valuable and sought after Air Jordans of the line. Also to note, Jordan was in violation of the league dress code by wearing the shoes,as his teammates wore all black sneakers. He was then fined $5,000 for not respecting the Bulls colorway policy. After the fining, Nike made him a pair of the shoes in a black/white/royal blue colorway for the series against Orlando, before they were to release to the public at the end of 2000. Michael Jordan was now away from the game of basketball, and he began a relatively short lived career in baseball.

Jordan wore the Air Jordan XI model to help the Chicago Bulls claim the 1995-1996 NBA championship. The legacy of the shoe was transferred to the silver screen as Jordan wore the same colorway of the Air Jordan XI model in the 1996 Warner Bros. animated movie "Space Jam". These shoes were eventually released in 2001 and re-retro'd in 2009 with the nickname "Space Jams". Another version of the XI's were released on December 23, 2010 called the "Cool Grey"

It is comfirmed that in December 2011, there will be a re-release of the "Concord" colorway of the 11s.