With the holiday season fast approaching, Jordan Brand has a number of goodies up its sleeve, but it’s going to be hard to top this one in terms of sheer anticipation.
As you may have already guessed, we’re referring to the ‘Space Jam‘ Air Jordan 11, which returns next month for the first time since its retro release in 2009. However, unlike its 2009 counterpart — and even its original 2000 iteration — this 2016 version is actually closer to the pair that Michael Jordan wore in 1996’s Space Jam film than any of the previous releases.
From a glance, the most noticeable update to this 2016 ‘Space Jam’ Air Jordan 11 is its ample patent leather overlay. Previously, sneaker fans had complained about the cut of patent leather on retro Air Jordan 11 releases, so this is the brand’s attempt to get it right and make the sneakers look as faithful to the originals as possible.
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Another change you will notice is the ’45’ embroidery at the heel, which replaces the traditionally screen-printed ’23’ logo. This is of course a reference to the uniform number worn briefly by Michael Jordan in 1995 during his first return to the NBA, and is also how the sneakers appeared in the 1996 film.
Lastly, the insole of the 2016 Air Jordan 11 ‘Space Jam’ features ‘Nike Air’ branding in place of the Jumpman logo seen on other retro iterations.
The Air Jordan 11 ‘Space Jam’ arrives at select Jordan Brand retailers on Dec. 10 for $220, but before that, the iconic colorway will make its way to the latest and greatest from Jordan Brand, the Air Jordan XXXI.
The ‘Space Jam’ Air Jordan XXXI releases on Dec. 3 for $185. In addition to the Air Jordan 11 and Air Jordan XXXI, there are ‘Space Jam’-inspired colorways of the CP3.X, Extra.Fly, Rising High 2, Super.Fly 5, Trainer 1 Low, and Ultra.Fly, which can be previewed here.
