The Air Jordan 11 Low was never supposed to happen.
Well documented, the mid-top proper developed in the dark by Tinker Hatfield went against the wishes and expectations of Nike executives. Making the most of a chip on his shoulder and a gut feeling that Michael Jordan would return to basketball, the revolutionary performance pair broke every ethos and absolutely changed the game.
Somewhere between the ideation of the Air Jordan 11 and the reality that Michael Jordan would in fact return to Chicago, Tinker decided to roll the dice twice by creating two versions of MJ’s game shoe that Nike never thought he should design.
The second was the Air Jordan 11 IE Low – the first low top look for Mike since the AJ2 in 1987. Having Hatfield step onto the Air Jordan line with the AJ3, Mike’s hybrid game of speed and strength called for an unconventional ¾ cut that defied genre and made his model stand out on a wall. While Hatfield himself had deaded the low top Jordan as we knew it, he somehow saw it time to bring it back.
Rather than chop the top off like every other high to low transition in basketball shoe history, Tinker elected to rewrite the rules and widen the reach of his most impassioned design.
“We were looking at how we could extend the original performance basketball shoe into something that could further the design, but turn into a low top,” Hatfield reflected on the AJ11 IE Low in 2015.
When it came to court feel and propulsion, the Air Jordan 11’s revolutionary carbon fiber plate and evolved translucent sole were not to be altered.
On the upper, the Cordura mesh inspired by backpacks would be left in detention while the signature patent leather mudguard made in the image of a lawnmower would also be placed on the chopping block.
“I wasn’t interested in an exact replica of a 11 in a low top,” Hatfield noted. “I was more interested in doing a low top that was partly the Jordan 11, but fresher. I felt like [patent leather] was contrary to the summer feel. The shoe didn’t need to feel so stiff and heavy. For the summer, I wanted something that was lighter and easier to wear.”
The fresher iteration as alluded was the Air Jordan 11 IE Low – a lower cut alternative to the mid-top proper with nods to Hatfield’s humble beginnings and his next masterpiece. On the “Cobalt” colorway, an elephant print panel mudguard made reference to the foundational fabric introduced on Tinker’s first Air Jordan design, the Air Jordan 3. To that notion, mesh windows could be likened to that of Hatfield’s work on the Air Jordan 4 and Air Jordan 5.
Conversely, a ribbed leather upper provided a preview of a defining aspect of next season’s shoe: the Air Jordan 12. In many ways, this Air Jordan 11 IE Low was the earliest iteration of the .5, V2, and Elite signature shoes that brands would roll out for their athletes years later in the playoffs. All the familiarity surrounding the original model paved the way for a new narrative that played well to warmer weather and park play.
From a marketing standpoint, this all made perfect sense. Not only was he the world’s most popular athlete back and in 72-10 form, but he also had a B-Side followup/summer sequel to his biggest commercial hit since the Air Jordan 1 in ‘85.
Making the most of the moment and momentum, Michael Jordan debuted the Air Jordan 11 IE Low in Madison Square Garden on May 11, 1996, for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the New York Knicks. The Saturday showcase saw Mike score a game-high 46 points in a nationally televised game that aired on NBC.
The vibe was palpable for fans across the country. John Tesh’s “Roundball Rock” theme music played, Peter Vecsey did a pre-game profile on Ron Harper and Alec Baldwin attended in a John Starks jersey.
However, none of that mattered as the Bulls lost. Following that big stage unveil, the Air Jordan 11 IE Low would hit the backburner as far as Mike would be concerned, only getting TV time weeks later when Lil’ Penny cut a pair for a Conference Finals promo clip and when Mike wore the IE once more but rolled his ankle in Game 3 of that Orlando series.
Perhaps poor timing, perhaps a matter of preference, MJ’s request for a shiny shoe still held weight and so did winning. Even while catching an L and an injury, Mike still peaked with his playoff high in low-top Airs.
Wearing below ankle sneakers in NBA action for the first time since 1988 was a nostalgic feel for Mike even if the results were varied. Suddenly, curiosity came to life for the Black Cat.
On June 5, 1996, in front of a hometown Chicago crowd, Michael Jordan opened the NBA Finals in a PE pair of what would now be known as the Air Jordan 11 Low. The patent proper was effectively cut down in a 1-to-1 fashion, exposing the ankle while subtracting eyelets. Appearing in a palette identical to his “Playoff” Air Jordan 11 Mid in an era without HD television and a full decade before Twitter, no one much noticed MJ’s 1-of-1 exclusives that both blended into his black socks and defied Tinker’s alternative ambition.
A man of many prototypes never afraid to go rogue or phone in a favor, it would soon become apparent that Mike loved the low top installment of his favorite shoe ever, even if it didn’t prove a mainstay on the court.
Weeks after wearing out the Sonics in his surprise shoes, Michael Jordan would appear at the 1996 Championship Parade in a PE pair of the classic “Concord” colorway of the Air Jordan 11, also ushered in as a low top. Disguised by dad jeans and seen only in hindsight through Getty Images, the Air Jordan 11 Low as we now know it returned to the vault as Nike, Mike and Tinker kept it moving on the storied signature series.
While the Air Jordan 12 wouldn’t see a low top launch in original form, the Air Jordan 11 experiment at both retail in IE form and in PE pairs on Mike would be enough to move Tinker and his team to design low top Air Jordan signatures for models 13 through 23. The following years would also see the birth of Jordan Brand, the second retirement of Mike, and the revival of retro through a new lens.
The watershed moment for retro was October 25, 2000, when the Air Jordan 11 “Concord” returned after only five years in the vault. The public went absolutely nuts, proving the demand for the Air Jordan 11 and an appetite for patent leather. While new Jordan Brand signees like Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles would rejoice in early access to Air Jordan 11 retros and unlimited on-court pairs, young journeyman and at that point Team Jordan vet Derek Anderson desired something different.
A lover of low tops decades after Bill Russell and Bob Cousy but years before Kobe Bryant, Gilbert Arenas, or Steve Nash, the combo guard known as Loyal 1 received “Concord” Air Jordan 11s in October of 2000 but not like the ones sold in stores.
Rather, his pair was almost identical to the PEs worn by Mike on that 1996 Championship Parade stage.
Starting all 82 regular-season games for the Spurs, Derek Anderson donned Air Jordan 11 Lows early and often at a time where the world barely knew they existed. With Mike away from the game, the internet in its infancy, and no one checking Popovich’s platoon for sauce, Anderson teased an unknowing public over the course of the 2000-01 season with a model they wouldn’t see for months and a colorway they couldn’t cop for years.
In the end, it all amounted to high profile product testing for the first-ever retail release of the Air Jordan 11 Low in the spring of 2001.
Without warning, the prized PEs made exclusively for Mike were suddenly available in seven unique colorways likened to sport, style, and luxury launching over the course of April, May, and June.
Releasing to lower demand than the “Concord,” “Space Jam,” “Columbia” and “Cool Grey” Mids that preceded these pairs only months prior, the energy made by old and new takes on the original cut created the enthusiasm to move many pairs of the ‘new’ low tops.
From “Columbia Blue” to “Citrus,” “Pink Snakeskin” to “Zen Grey,” the Air Jordan 11 Low was leveraging legacy while risking it at the same time.
Even MJ himself would show renewed fanfare, popping up in the “Cherry” 11 Low at an October 2001 Wizards practice just days after announcing his final comeback.
With its player exclusive origin unbeknownst to even most in the know and retros mids moving to a collectible/lifestyle lens, the runway was rolled out for the Air Jordan 11 Low to crossover into uncharted casual territory.
After all, basketball shoes had become ‘cuter’ and transitioned to the mainstream just years prior. Case in point? The Nike Air Force 1 Mid – an unconventional cut of the acclaimed icon soon beloved by ladies, kids, and shiny suit wearers in the late 1990s but ice grilled by old heads old enough to have heard Rakim rap and seen Moses hoop.
A new classic, a new millennium, the Air Jordan 11 was experiencing a similar evolution. Effectively, the new wave of kids who were comfortable with an Air Force 1 Mid could get jiggy with an Air Jordan 11 Low just the same.
Suddenly the Air Jordan 11 had two cuts and two lanes. Young consumers could cop the new Lows with relative ease while the archival purists put their energy and efforts into the above ankle OG.
Naturally, the Air Jordan 11 should have released in a myriad of mid and low-top colors annually for the remainder of the 2000s.
Except they didn’t.
For reasons unexplainable, the now ready for retail Air Jordan 11 Low would be buried in the vault for the rest of the 2000s. The mid-top proper would remain the crowned jewel of each holiday season it released throughout the aughts while the respected but less popular IE iteration brought back both OGs in 2003 only to be followed by an onslaught of odd-ball LS looks launched in 2007.
Heading into the 2010s, the Air Jordan 11 Low felt prisoner to flash in the pan popularity and association to its glitzy shadow similar to Shyne. Around that era, “Snakeskin” styles from 2001 fetched top dollar in deadstock condition in the early days of aftermarket despite damaged yellow soles and many fans forgetting about them.
However, one fan who did not forget about them mattered more than most.
His name? Michael Jordan.
Ironically wearing them when greeting his most financially blessed fans, MJ often appeared at his Flight School – a now-defunct kids and adult basketball camp run by Mike and running a lofty price of entry – in sample styles of the Air Jordan 11 Low.
The 100% retired GOAT would wear-test his once PE model in never-before-seen styles sporting the likes of navy uppers with gum soles and “Tuxedo” takes with red bottoms.
Around that time, he’d even pop up with a “Concord” Low sample while competing in a beer pong game we’re sure he won.
All this backend buzz paved the way for the Air Jordan 11 Low to finally return to retail in 2012.
Dropping in a new White/Red rendition, the model was once again made for the masses and once again received with open arms. Though not garnering the heat of the “Concord” Mids that preceded them or the “Playoff” Mids that followed, the Air Jordan 11 Low was once again available for summer and as accessible as ever for casual wear.
The remainder of the 2010s saw the Air Jordan 11 Low amplified as a spring and summer staple for the growing Jordan Brand catalog. Original PEs became GRs by way of the “Concord” Low launch in 2014, a Maya Moore makeup appeared in 2018 and the coveted “Cool Grey” colorway got a much-needed haircut that same spring.
Year in and year out, the Air Jordan 11 Low became both a mainstay and a canvas for celebration. A slew of 2001 takes released over the 2010s while new classics were defined by a new generation. Like the first run of releases, the low-top look was seen on guys, girls, and kids of all ages, proving easier to wear, easier to afford, and easier to get than their higher cut contemporary.
This week, the Air Jordan 11 Low is back again for its annual summer drop. The low top look once relegated as a PE only for MJ is now a GR in colorways that are classic in their own right.
First, the “Citrus” release revives the 2001 take that served as one of the first retro releases sized and styled with women in mind.
Though the shoe has come back before, this will be the first time the ladies’ launch will drop with the original carbon fiber plate Tinker tooled for Mike.
A day later, the “Legend Blue” Low likens the OG “Columbia” Mid colorway in below ankle fashion.
Yes, the same shoe Michael Jordan wore in the 1996 All-Star Game in San Antonio will release in the same cut that Derek Anderson dawned in 2000 as a member of Team Jordan and the Spurs.
Thankfully for consumers, things have changed.
In the 1990s, the Air Jordan 11 Low was never supposed to happen. Even when it did, patent leather pairs were only made for Michael Jordan himself.
In the 2000s, the Air Jordan 11 Low saw a spontaneous glimpse at what Jordan Brand could be: an athletic company able to look back on its revolutionary past while still pushing the envelope enough to entertain a new audience.
By the 2010s, and now 20 years after their retail arrival in 2001, the Air Jordan 11 Low is back and arguably bigger than ever. It’s the ultimate accessory, adapting to the casual climate Air Jordan now spends his sunny second life in.
Nostalgic and easier to acquire, being like Mike has never been so easy.
