From court to cleat.
Michael Jordan’s basketball career was over. Fittingly, Air Jordan IX released in late 1993 with a completely new story. Gone were the midsole flares, sculpted overlays, and bright colors. Despite the signature line’s fresh start, it was not triggered by Jordan’s retirement. Designer Tinker Hatfield began work on IX almost a full year before Jordan walked away. Ahead of the curve, indeed.
A significant departure from VIII, IX’s dress shoe-like appearance was a simple stitch-infused upper with a dominant rand that wrapped the beltline of the shoe and around the collar. A graphic representation of Jordan’s global status was etched into the outsole.
Wanting to embark on his baseball journey in a familiar shoe, Nike turned the IX into a baseball cleat for Jordan. And though the new Birmingham Baron wouldn’t sport the shoe in a Bulls game, players such as Penny Hardaway and Kendall Gill took the reins a bit, wearing it in games throughout the 1993-94 NBA season.
Jordan did finally get to wear the shoe in an NBA game. In a 2002 pre-season game against the Celtics in Boston, he laced up the “Cool Grey” Air Jordan IX Retro.
Click through for a look back at Michael Jordan and the Air Jordan IX…
