Jordans! 1985 - 2006

The Air Jordan XI is one of the most popular Air Jordan of all time and one of the most sought after sneakers of all time. These were the shoes Jordan wore during his first return to basketball during the 1995-1996 season. In fall of 2000, Nike had re-released the retro version of the Air Jordan XI (officially dubbed Air Jordan XI Retro) but had made them slightly different from the previous release.

First, the retro’s toe was far less likely to crease and was much stiffer. The patent leather was glossier and the arch on the shoe was more inclined and less flat. Many argue that the retro version is superior over the original. Additionally, the Retro had unique colors that was never released originally including the Space Jam version of the shoe which sold out in a matter of hours at most stores.

They are also the most illegally copied shoes in the market, with as much as 1/3 of all Air Jordan XI’s sold on eBay being fakes, with many of them coming from China. It is important to note that the fakes of the Air Jordan XI usually have a hard mid-sole (it is suppose to be soft or at least semi-firm), a low or barely visible arch on the mid-foot, and a disfigured checkered pattern on the bottom of the shoe. Many of these fakes lack cushioning and can be quite uncomfortable to walk in. A first sign to tell that the shoes are fake is to look for the box that it came in. The box should match the shoe exactly with the ID number on the box matching the ID number on the shoe. Often the box is not even a Jordan box or one that is too big or too small for the shoe with no barcode.