Air Jordan XI | Designer : Tinker Hatfield | Released : 1995

Thanks to great performance coupled with an innovative design, the Air Jordan XI (particularly the Concord colorway) is one of the most-loved sneakers ever. Sole Collector magazine voted the XI the top shoe of all time.

Tinker Hatfield watched video of Michael Jordan and noticed MJ’s foot would roll off the foot bed on hard cuts. So Hatfield took that opportunity to blend substance with style, adding patent leather for the first time on a basketball shoe. Patent leather was stronger, and it fit MJ’s reported desire to have a shoe that could be worn with a suit.

The upper consisted of a polymer-coated, thin nylon ballistic mesh material. The collar and tongue were padded for ankle comfort. The translucent – ‘frosty’ – outsole lay atop the shank plate for extra spring. The shoe also included a full-length Air-Sole unit.

MJ wore the Black/Varsity Royal/White version in the movie Space Jam. Jordan also wore the same “Air Jordan XI Space Jam” shoe in the playoffs. Many Jordan brand athletes have worn the AJ XI over the years; Ray Allen sported a White/Green/Gold version during the Celtics’ 2008-09 season.

When the AJ XI was made, MJ was quoted as saying someone would one day wear them with a tuxedo. Months later, Boyz II Men appeared at an awards show wearing tuxes and AJ XIs.

Link: Air Jordan XI