Perhaps the most famous Jordan of all time, the Air Jordan 11 was Michael Jordan’s shoe for the 1995-1996 NBA season. Initially, the shoe was released in two versions:
a) The Mid – Patent Leather
b) The Low – Elephant Print aka the IE
However, five years later the retro run of the model saw the low-cut aka IE pairs adorn snakeskin instead of the elephant print.
Since the students started cutting classes to get their hands on a pair, Jordan Brand wisely decided to push the retro releases to Saturdays and that’s where the trend of Saturday releases comes from.
Being yet another Tinker Hatfield design, the shoe had to look and feel different from its predecessors, and yet represent the charismatic basketball legend. The 90’s also marked the golden age of hip-hop and fancy sports cars, specifically the convertibles. They became an inspiration for Tinker while designing the Jordan 11. The patent leather on the shoe represents the shiny body of a convertible. The shoe featured a full-length Air-Sole unit and a carbon fiber plate along with a lightweight Phylon midsole.
The Jordan 11’s prices at launch always hovered between the $115 – $125 mark and has been one of the most sought after models when it comes to retros. In 2006, Jordan Brand released their first ever two-shoe pack – “Defining Moments” pack which featured a gold-accented version of the Air Jordan 11 “Concord” and gold themed Air Jordan 6. The Jordan 11 Ray Allen PE’s – 2008 Ring Night and 2013 Two Rings continue to be the most coveted sneakers along with the Space Jams, only 5 pairs of which were initially made for Michael for the movie Space Jam.
Despite its poor traction on court in the beginning and the revisions it underwent to fix that very problem, the Jordan 11 is by far one of the most collected Jordan shoes. It’s a staple if you are a basketball shoe collector and an MJ fan. It comes in both low-top and mid versions and has rocked multiple flavors. Whichever you choose to pick, shall serve you well.