John Kim 
Sneaker News just closed out the Michael Jordan Through The Years yearly feature, detailing Michael Jordan and each and every Air Jordan shoe he wore in an NBA game. If you aren’t an expert on Michael’s history yet, we’re about to get a little more specific, focusing on those particular times where Michael Jordan and his spectacular game shined the brightest. The NBA All-Star Game is a good starting point, is it not? Michael’s been there fourteen times (played in just thirteen thanks to a broken foot during the ’85-’86 campaign), and took home the All-Star Game MVP trophy in 1988, 1996, and 1998. During All-Star play, Michael is the current all-time leader in points scored (262), field goals made (110), and field goals attempted (233), and holds various other single-game titles. Jordan had no problem shining the brightest among the world’s greatest stars, and that was partly in credit to his Air Jordan shoes.
Michael Jordan utilized the NBA All-Star Game as a showcase for his new Air Jordans, as he would typically debut the new model during the game. Some of the most popular Air Jordan colorways of all time were reserved just for the occasion; the Air Jordan VII ‘Aqua’, Air Jordan XI ‘Columbia’, Air Jordan XVII Low ‘Lightning’, and the Air Jordan VII ‘Bordeaux’ are just some of the history-making Jordans that Michael donned exclusively during the February classic. Of course, it’s the moment that precedes the shoe, like the Air Jordan XIII ‘Playoffs’ that Michael wore when he took Kobe Bryant to school in ’98, the Air Jordan XVIII White/Royal that he fashioned when he hit the go-ahead fadeaway jumper in the 2003 affair, or the Black/Cement III that helped him drop forty points against a stacked Western squad.
For each and every Air Jordan model, a million-and-one stories can be told. The game-winning shot, the clutch steal, the did-you-see-that move on an impenetrable defense, the picturesque moment forever instilled in our memories – the NBA All-Star Game falls in all of those categories, but still is not enough to fully and thoroughly capture Michael’s greatness. There’s still plenty of Michael Jordan left to go over, but in the meantime, check out this great visual recap of Michael Jordan in the NBA All-Star Game, and stay tuned to Sneaker News as we continue exploring the history of the Air Jordan with Michael Jordan Through The Years.
