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After easily handling the Charlotte Hornets in the first round of the 1995 NBA Playoffs, the Chicago Bulls faced off against the Orlando Magic – a team that was younger, faster, and more energetic than the Chicago Bulls. Led by Shaquille O’neal and Penny Hardaway, the #1 seed Magic were ready to face off against Michael Jordan and the rejuvenated Chicago team, and considered the match-up against Michael as a true test of greatness. Game 1 was looking good for the Bulls; with twenty seconds left in regulation and up by one, Chicago had possession of the ball and the game looked to be under their control. It was during those final twenty seconds that may have shed light on Jordan’s possible fall from greatness – that he left the game too early for his own good and let get away a supreme reign that would rival that of the greatest dynasties in history. Michael had the ball cleanly stolen from him, allowing the go-ahead bucket to score. Now with six-seconds left and an opportunity for the game-winner, Michael made an errant pass to Scottie Pippen and turned the ball over, sealing Game 1 for the Magic. Orlando went on to win the series in six games despite Michael averaging over thirty points per contest and un-retiring his #23 jersey, and Nick Anderson, who was responsible for the late-game steal in Game 1, stated that Michael “didn’t look like the old Michael Jordan”.
There was no doubt that an 18-month hiatus from the game had taken its toll, but the loss to Orlando only made Michael hungrier, angrier, and ready for a challenge. Michael and Bulls came back with a fiery vengeance and arrived at the 1996 NBA All-Star Break with an astounding 42-5 record. So how does the Air Jordan XI tie into this? Tinker Hatfield, who was again the designer for the shoe, presented Michael with a wear-test pair in the White/Black ‘Concord’ colorway during that 1995 series against Orlando. Ignoring Hatfield’s pleas to not wear the shoes, Michael simply could not resist and wore the Concords for a few games, until he was given a stern warning from the NBA for not abiding by team uniform policies. For one game, Michael had no choice but to borrow a pair of the Nike Air Flight One from rival Penny Hardaway, but wore them with the Penny one-cent heel-tab cut off from the shoe. The following game, Michael introduced the Air Jordan XI in Black/White, which is now referred to as the ‘Space Jam’ colorway – but of course, at the time of its debut, the movie wasn’t even made yet. That series would be the last time Michael would wear the Space Jam colorway, because once the 1995-96 season arrived, Michael wore the Concord colorway for the regular season until the All-Star Game, where he would debut an all-new never-before-seen version.
The design of the Air Jordan XI is clearly one of luxury, but did you know that the eleventh Air Jordan was inspired by a lawn-mower? Tinker Hatfield has found inspiration from the unlikely places, but his keen eye has certainly rewarded once the Air Jordan XI was finally released in November of 1995 to a rabid crowd of fans and Jordan-enthusiasts. The ‘Concord’ was released again in October of 2000, followed the first release of the ‘Space Jam’ version later in December. A slightly altered version of the Concord was again released in 2006 as part of the first-ever Air Jordan Defining Moments Package, which celebrated the Air Jordan VI and XI – the two shoes that jump-started both of Michael’s three-peats. Another Retro release of the Concord has also been set for 2011. The more recent release of either the Concord or Space Jam came in 2009; the Air Jordan XI Space Jam was released in late December and featured a unique slide-out packaging, solid plastic shoe trees, and a $175 price-tag. They were instantly sold out, inciting riots and overall mayhem, and was selected by Sneaker News as the best sneaker of 2009 – and deservingly so. Continue reading for a full visual recap of Michael Jordan in the Air Jordan XI Concord and Space Jam, and stay tuned to the next volume of the Air Jordan XI installment of Michael Jordan Through The Years.
62 Responses to “Michael Jordan Through The Years: Air Jordan XI – Part 1”
January 20th, 2011 at 9:03 pm
Tinker's GREATest design ever
January 20th, 2011 at 9:05 pm
SHAQ got a BIG ass foot lmao !
January 20th, 2011 at 9:11 pm
nice pic o page 5 last picture
concords vs colombias
January 20th, 2011 at 9:16 pm
Record breaking season for the Bulls and MJ coincided with one of the greatest Jordans of all time. Perfect combination!
January 20th, 2011 at 9:17 pm
the Pic Nick Anderson got the White 11s on Jordan lookin at him like where he get em from..lol
and The Penny 1s are XCLUSIVE! waitin on both Concorde and the OG colorway Pennies
January 20th, 2011 at 9:17 pm
in 1995 xi's were performance basketball shoes.
in 2009 xi's were purely casual shoes
January 20th, 2011 at 9:22 pm
Cant wait for them concords to drop. The manager at champs told me that its a confirmed christmas release. But he didnt have information on the columbia's.
January 20th, 2011 at 9:23 pm
best jordan aint no need to discuzz
January 20th, 2011 at 9:24 pm
The 5th pg. 5th pic. MJ looks like he's starring at his opponent wearing the AJ XI's; except different colorway. BEWARE: When the AJ XI "Concords" drop this year; its GONNA be a DIFFERENT STORY TOLD!
January 20th, 2011 at 9:25 pm
both rockin 11s in that last shot on page 5
January 20th, 2011 at 9:25 pm
Concords and Columbias in the same pic on page 5, NICE!
January 20th, 2011 at 9:33 pm
I swear Michael Jordan had the best shoegame back then and now
January 20th, 2011 at 9:36 pm
nick anderson wins!
honestly, this is the only "michael jordan through the years" i actually went through. aj xi – the greatest shoe design of all time!
January 20th, 2011 at 9:40 pm
icy blue sole LMAO
January 20th, 2011 at 9:55 pm
sometimes i wish i could go back in time and relive those moments where i would watch mj on the tv. im thankful i was able to comprehend at a younger age how good mj REALLY was back then, and even now compared to what the league has evolved in…and btw…GREAT SHOES!!
January 20th, 2011 at 10:17 pm
yeah wait a minute. is it just me or do them soles look like they have a blue tint? am I trippin? am I stupid? i'm so confused right now lol
January 20th, 2011 at 10:22 pm
3rd pic from the last those pennys need to be retroed quick had the all black ones back then, but those white blk blue jawns is a must have…..somebody from SN needs to give word to nike about those to be retoed
January 20th, 2011 at 10:22 pm
Woow tho og columbias with the blue sole. Damb when they retro them i hope they look just like that.
January 20th, 2011 at 10:29 pm
no breds?
January 20th, 2011 at 10:32 pm
His shoe is almost the length of my arm smh.
January 20th, 2011 at 10:53 pm
naw you not trippin man…they do appear to have a bluish tint!!! glad im not the only one that see that!
January 20th, 2011 at 10:56 pm
The Jordan XI is an excellent shoe. That being said, how come Michael Jordan never came close to biting his tongue off during a game? You'd think someone brazenly going around with his tongue out during the game would be setting himself up for that kind of injury.
January 20th, 2011 at 11:14 pm
That's Nick Anderson. I believe he was born and raised in Chicago and went to college at Illinois and was a huge MJ fan.
Ironic thing about Nick is that while he won Game 1 of that series with the steal, he essentially lost the NBA Finals for Orlando in Game 1 of the Finals. I'm sure older heads know what i'm talking about. Magic were up by three with under a minute left in the game and Nick Anderson needed to hit one free-throw to seal the game. He missed both, but the Magic got the offensive rebound and kicked it back out to Anderson, who got fouled immediately. He missed those two as well and Kenny The Jet Smith tied the game with a three and the Rockets went on to win the game in OT. That loss set the tone for the entire series and the Rockets swept the Magic.
It's all good for MJ though, because we all know what he did in 95-96. Stay tuned to MJ Through The Years: Air Jordan XI Part 2!
January 21st, 2011 at 2:11 am
checkout the handcheck mj got on penny, damn i miss those years. jordan11 FTW!
January 21st, 2011 at 2:46 am
they should've released the spacejam's in '96… the movie did great and mj wore them a bunch of times during the 1995-96 season…
January 21st, 2011 at 3:05 am
i remember that…pippen shoes are nice to in the pic but smwht not clear
January 21st, 2011 at 7:22 am
love that pic mikes face is priceless
January 21st, 2011 at 7:38 am
lol thanks for the exclusive info bro
January 21st, 2011 at 8:08 am
page 3, classic MJ with the hands on the shorts, Seattle Supersonics (man i miss them), and 4 Dallas players watching MJ bang out! Amazing!
January 21st, 2011 at 8:29 am
Tinker's AJ III was not only his greatest design, but nike's greatest sneaker in the brands history. The III was the first of the only 4 Jordans with visible air (III,IV,V,VI) Mr. Hatfield also introduced elephant print on the III, both strikingly revolutionary in terms of design, and both have become perennially ubiquitous staples of Jordan Brand's footwear and apparel. The III was so dope it convinced Jordan to stay/grow with nike. The rest is history. The AJ III is Tinker's greatest design ever, not only due to the ground-breaking ascetics, but for what could be considered the preservation/creation of Jordan Brand as we know it. The XIs are one of Tinkers's elite creations as well, incorporating a tuxedo/'black-tie event' look which is unilaterally deemed one of the greatest sneaker's ever produced by anyone. Just unfortunately not quite as historically signifiant as the IIIs. Had Tinker not designed the IIIs then the XIs would have never happened……….
http://sneakernews.com/2010/11/18/michael-jordan-…
January 21st, 2011 at 8:42 am
this is the best MJ Through the Years post YET!
January 21st, 2011 at 8:55 am
there suppose to both come out on the same day i heard
January 21st, 2011 at 9:13 am
Yeah the Air Flight 1! those were awesome shoes. MJ wore them in one of the games vs. the Magic in that series. I remember tripping the he was wearing something other than an Air Jordan.
January 21st, 2011 at 9:29 am
So what, the 11's are the greatest. Not only the greatest Jordan shoe ever, but the greatest shoe ever. Hands down. They were so ahead of their time. Over a decade later, the 11's can still go toe to toe against any new shoe on the market and win. They will always have that fresh, new, innovative look and feel to them. When I see the 3's I think and feel early 90's, they have a old school vibe and feel to them, elephant print and air bubble are great contributions to the shoe game, but other than that, their a pretty plain a simple shoe… the 11's are timeless, because like I said they were years and years ahead of their time. Their one of the rare shoes you look at and say "there is nothin I would change about this shoe, if given the chance" the 11's are the shoe game perfected.
January 21st, 2011 at 10:41 am
they will probably be in part 2.
January 21st, 2011 at 10:44 am
As much as i love the AJ XI i think the shoe has become overrated. Don't get me wrong it is a great shoe but i personally like the AJ XIII and the III more. It is in my top 5 shoes but it has become more of a hypebeast shoe.
January 21st, 2011 at 11:07 am
There are 6 AJ's with visible air. You missing the XVI and XVII
January 21st, 2011 at 11:23 am
Anderson was never the same after that too. I think those free throws haunted him for the rest of his career.
January 21st, 2011 at 12:02 pm
last pic on the last page was one of the first times i seen MJ "rock da cradle" my pops took me to a game a whiile back..the dude huggin ron harper said the same thing as my dad.."DAAAAAMN"
January 21st, 2011 at 12:13 pm
Just imagine how many pairs of XI's he went through during that time. SMDH! He must have went through atleast 1000 pairs. Just worn once for a picture, a game, interview, practice, media event for the Bulls and Nike, Just chilling, to stock, to give away, to auction, to autograph ect. Lol.
January 21st, 2011 at 12:23 pm
AJ 11s are the nicest looking Jordans ever, but they also get messed up the easiest. maintaining them is such a beeeaattcchh
January 21st, 2011 at 12:26 pm
I suppose u can argue ther's visible air on the XVI, but you're dead wrong about the XVIIs, sorry……
http://sneakernews.com/air-jordan-brand-jordan/ai…
January 21st, 2011 at 12:32 pm
Im not hating, I have three pairs of XIs myself so please dont misconstrue my comment. To me though, with all the pressure in the world on Hatfield's back this man sat down and came up with one shoe that created an empire…… The IIIs not only changed the game but saved the game as well.
January 21st, 2011 at 12:54 pm
u make a valid point on the IIIs. but the XIs are definitely the most sought out shoe in the AJ line up..the release of the cement IIIs tomorrow is not going to be as big as the CG XI or the SJ XI or the possible concord release later this year or the breds. whichever one they will release.
January 21st, 2011 at 1:01 pm
Is Rodman rocking gloves on Page 5? I like posts like this. Get to see the J's and other shoes from this time.
January 21st, 2011 at 1:32 pm
Page bookmarked!
January 21st, 2011 at 1:52 pm
#HANDSDOWN The best fuckin shoe ever, got 4 pairs, 01 concords are a classic!
January 21st, 2011 at 2:20 pm
Everybody is going to get mad when I say this but XI's are overrated!!!!! It's a nice shoe but you guys make it seem like It's the greatest shoe of all time. It's not.
I'm just saying…..
January 21st, 2011 at 4:46 pm
Nope he was never the same. The following year his free throw percentage dropped to 40% from a career 70%. Not only that but it affected his whole game. He became scared to go to the whole from fear of being fouled and sent to the line. I forgot how many it was ( I think it was in the twenties) but he missed mad free throws in a row at the beginning of the next season. They had to start taking him out at the end of games because teams would hack a shaq him. He had to go to a shrink and it helped him get back somewhat.
January 21st, 2011 at 5:09 pm
Yeah you right. He wore a pair of Penny's joints with Penny's number blocked out!
January 21st, 2011 at 5:10 pm
Air Jordan XI concords and Playoff XIII and the two single greatest achievements in the history of shoes. I still have both OG pairs and wear them ever once in a while. And bump all this talk about a Hypebeast I was in love with these shoe, and still is, before the term Hypebeast was ever uttered. Just because the masses love them now dosen't subtract from the love I had for them in 95 and I guess we were all Hypebeast back in 95 because everyone in my school had a pair.
January 21st, 2011 at 5:14 pm
I just saw a dude in my building with some concords on! Damn they were so fresh. I had to give him some dap on that. I have the jams and skipped on th CG's but those concords are a must!
January 21st, 2011 at 5:32 pm
Its not the greatest shoe of all time maybe 3 or 4
January 21st, 2011 at 8:54 pm
is that Rodney Rogers in the last pic for the Clippers?
January 21st, 2011 at 9:31 pm
Is Penny wearing pumps?
January 21st, 2011 at 9:32 pm
Nevermind… im blind
January 22nd, 2011 at 12:25 am
When I first saw the xi's back in the day in asia, not only was i surprised about the patent leather, i was in shock of the bottom ice sole. I was mesmerized of the whole transparent sole if you know what i'm sayin. It was the first shoes(for me) that had whole see-through bottoms and that was just shocking(in good way) idea.
January 22nd, 2011 at 10:32 am
2nd to the last pic on PAGE 7… looks like the 11's sole doesn't have the ICY touch on it… it looks SOLID light GREY or sumthin…. they should make soles of the 11's like that.. so that it wont turn out to be YELLOWISH over time…
January 24th, 2011 at 11:19 am
look at Penny rockin the Columbias
January 25th, 2011 at 4:04 pm
I think this shoe is all about how old you are. KIDS like the XI the most and the true HEADZ like the III, IV, V, VI, and VII the most. They changed the game. XIs just started the patent leather trend that still hasn't gone away unfortunately.
May 1st, 2011 at 10:07 pm
best XI's are hands down the space jams..they look so damn clean its ridiculous. missed out on the 09 retro..gotta wait for the next one.
June 21st, 2011 at 10:48 am
what about the 2000 XI's?