All
Sneaker Enthusiasts Discuss: What Makes The Air Jordan 11 Legendary?
The Air Jordan 11, for anyone who is into sneakers, really needs no introduction. One of Michael Jordan’s greatest sneakers, and one of the most popular sneakers of all time, has become an annual tradition during the holidays. This year, the colorway is the “Gamma Blue” version of the Air Jordan 11, but we don’t need to tell you what’s up. Take it from the sneaker enthusiasts who really know.
“As you have probably heard many times over, the Air Jordan is one of, if not the, most revered sneaker design ever created. While much of that has to do with MJ, the shoe design itself stands out. As far as the colorways go, I am partial to the Black/Varsity Red, and I am thankful Jordan Brand hasn’t gotten all crazy with them just yet. I know that day will come. I imagine as long as they have a good story behind them, I will get sucked right in just like everybody else. SMH.” – Jacques “@kustoo” Slade
“The Air Jordan 11 opened people’s eyes to the progress sneakers made. A simple, yet complex, design for an iconic player at the peak of his career. When anyone had them on, it was a showstopper and instant conversation piece.” – @DeadstockNYC
“The Jordan XI is iconic for so many reasons—the patent leather, Jordans return to the playoffs in them, and being a kid watching His Airness create such a buzz that Ahmad Rashad was talking about them on the sidelines. The reason I love them most though, is Jordan was human in them. After a string of league domination, his first time back in the playoffs after his first retirement he broke the XIs out against Nike’s wishes and failed to get out of the second round thanks to Shaq and Penny. Everyone wanted to be like Mike but living up to the expectations seemed impossible until you finally saw him fall again. Jordan laced back up in them for the 95-96 season, won a league record 72 games and earned his fourth ring—all in the Jordan XI. “ – @MrBrando3
“The Air Jordan XI was the first ‘special’ or cool shoe I owned. My older brother gave me his Black/ Red pair back in 1996 just as I was about to enter my Freshmen year of High School. They were a size 10.5 versus my usual size 9, but that didn’t stop me from wearing them until they fell apart. Still get the same feeling every time I lace a pair up as I did in ’96…after all these years they still have that wow factor.” – @Nightwing2303
“The Air Jordan 11 represents ever-curious innovation and relentless passion. MJ and Tinker were already legends in their respective fields, yet both kept coming back and pushing for more. That resonates with me as a person who doesn’t understand the idea of “good enough”. – @JustJaeSung
“The 11 to me represents the comeback. It represents the transition from where Michael was and where he was going. In a way, I think it is the most important basketball shoe in history because it broke so many barriers for style, material usage and, most important; performance. It was so far ahead of its time that it is still relevant now in every sense. It looks dope and it can still perform as well as every current sneaker. It is iconic.” – @bgolliff
“The Jordan 11s amaze me starting from the design inspiration; a lawn mower. It was incredible how MJ debuted the 11s and what he did in them, but they mean more to me for how they impacted the future of footwear as they pushed limits for performance and style.” – @EvanWhipkey
“The 11s are my favorite sneaker. They serve as a reminder of my childhood where I witnessed MJ’s return to the NBA for his second 3-peat. This was later followed by the movie Space Jam, one of my all-time favorites.” – @atothebed
“No sneaker represents greatness both on and off the basketball court like the Air Jordan 11. There’s a reason Jay-Z talks about having the “swag of a ball player,” and it’s Michael Jordan. The Jordan 11 is the shoe you can wear anytime, anywhere and feel like you’re the greatest of all time.” – @NickEngvall
Or, as the packaging of the Air Jordan 11 says, “Tinker made them shine, Mike made them fly, you made them iconic.”
Grab the Air Jordan 11 “Gamma Blue” on FinishLine.com on December 21st at 8AM EST.