AIR JORDAN XII The Air Jordan XII is the 12th Air Jordan sneaker and released in 1996. It was designed by Tinker Hatfield and the design was inspired by the ‘Rising Sun’ of Japan. The most memorable Air Jordan XII is the ‘Flu Game’ Black/Red colorway, which Michael wore during the 1997 NBA Finals while having the flu.
Following our feature of the Air Jordan IV ‘Military’ just an hour ago is a clear look at the Air Jordan XII ‘Obsidian’; this late-June release finishes of a triplet of Air Jordan XII releases that began with the original ‘Playoffs’ colorway and the all-new Cool Grey/Team Orange hat hit stores this past Saturday. We’ve got nearly a month left before these even begin popping up in stores, so the debate of whether or not to pass on these should pop up considering the slew of big-ticket releases slated to hit from now until then (South Beach LeBrons, Yeezy 2s, etc.). Need a reason to cop these? These are one of the very few un-Retro’ed Air Jordans left in the entire catalog (of course, that changes in the U.S. come June 23rd. More shots of this upcoming release after the jump, so take a look and let us know your decision on these.
Air Jordan XII Retro
Obsidian/White-French Blue-University Blue
130690-410
06/23/2012
$160
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It all started with that Air Jordan IV, showing up with the monochrome blocking on top that was unlike any Air Jordan colorway we’d seen before. After that the Air Jordan XVI and Air Jordan XII did the same, suggesting that the super colorful pairs were part of some over-arching theme never to make it to retail, sort of in the same vein as the ‘History of Flight’ or ‘Pantone’ series. Well folks, Pandora’s box has officially been opened-it turns out the set spans quite the range, starting at the Air Jordan 1 and reaching all the way up to last year’s Air Jordan 2011, created strictly for display purposes in the Spring 2011 season just like the aforementioned collections. Every two pairs along the way sports a slightly different shade, with the 25 separate models included pretty much spanning what the rainbow has to offer. Hit the jump with us to check out the crazy Air Jordan ‘Rainbow Pack’ courtesy of brokeonjordans on eBay and let us know which pair among them you like the most. Photos: brokeonjordans
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Ray Allen took home the 2011-12 NBA Feet PE Championship thanks to new additions to the sickest Air Jordan player exclusive library this side of Michael Jordan himself. Given the energy surrounding designs like his black/green Air Jordan XIIIs or the Martin Luther King Day 12s, wouldn’t Jordanheads go absolutely insane over the pair pictured above? While not specifically named or seen as a Sugar Ray SMU, this Air Jordan XII‘s metallic green upper and its even-cleaner-than-’Cool Grey’ blocked white accents is a natural match for the NBA’s all-time three-point king. They also have a pearly, almost Foamposite-like sheen that we recently saw on an AJXVI sample earlier this month; would you have purchased designs like these, had the ‘anodized’ look been extended beyond the AJ1 and Six Rings? Let us know when you click through to see more images of one of the more impressive unreleased Air Jordan samples we’ve seen in recent memory and stick with Sneaker News for updates after you check out the auction from brokeonjordans on eBay.
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If you’ve got some Air Jordan money stashed away this month, you’d better cop the Air Jordan XII ‘Cool Grey’, because that’s the last Air Jordan release scheduled for the month! Although it’s not an original colorway, it pushes forward the ‘Cool Grey’ lineage, adopting a distinguishing design element in the Team Orange detailing in the upper. We posed the question of “will you cop” a few nights ago and those who were certain or teeter-tottering in the middle definitely outweighed the number of people who had decided to pass, so it looks like these may be a bigger hit than you might have originally anticipated! These will be available tomorrow at Jordan Brand retailers (note: Nikestore has delayed its release to the near future but all other locations will release on schedule) so check out this final look below and don’t forget to miss out on yours by grabbing one now from psneakers on eBay.
Air Jordan XII
Cool Grey/White-Team Orange
130690-012
05/19/12
$160
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It wouldn’t be too presumptuous to state that the Air Jordan XII is the ‘easiest’ to color-block, given the shoe has a rather simplistic build compared to other Air Jordans in the legacy. That’s probably why the Air Jordan XII has such a vast PE library, with this ‘Rip City’ joint just being another on the impressive list; this, of course, was made for one of Jordan Brand’s earliest ambassadors in Richard Hamilton, who cultivated the ‘Rip’ moniker in UConn and later won an NBA Title with the Detroit Pistons in one of the biggest ‘upsets’ in the NBA history. More of Rip’s XII PE after the jump, so take a look and check out the full listing from lo-life_rasta on eBay.
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Our recent ‘On the Fence’ look at the ‘Cool Grey’ Air Jordan 12 suggests Jordanheads are looking toward others from this insanely packed summer full of heat. Among those ‘distracting’ other drops is another of this summer’s AJXII Retros, but not just any old combination of colors. This is one that we’ve been waiting for over fifteen years to see in stores again, so don’t be surprised when the ‘Obsidian’ Air Jordan XII Retro is gone just as soon as it’s resurrected. This June 23rd release is indeed the spot-on OG reproduction we’ve been craving, although the metal eyelets aren’t so much ‘metal’, but a coated plastic. Click through for more shots, let us know where these rank on your list of summer sneaker shopping priorities and cop in over a month in advance from mmehanna on eBay.
Air Jordan XII Retro
Obsidian/White-French Blue-University Blue
130690-410
06/23/12
$160
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The ‘Cool Grey’ spin seems to work wonders on Air Jordan Retros, doesn’t it? After debuting over a decade ago with the Air Jordan XI, the following Air Jordan IX, IV, and III installment were instant hits and were all part of the 32-seed pool of the Sneaker News Non-OG Air Jordan Tournament. But is that the case for this Saturday’s release of the Air Jordan XII? While ‘Cool Grey’ all but guarantees success, the verdict is still out on the Air Jordan XII, as it incorporates Team Orange on the midsole Jumpman ‘plate’ as well as the TWO3 detailed on the tongue and the heel accents. This colorway of White/Grey/Orange has, in fact, been done before with 2008′s Air Jordan VIII (although that one used a ton of reflective material to give it a snazzy effect), but like the Charlotte Bobcats (which this colorway could be tied to), we could expect less than spectacular performance. Other ‘On The Fence’ spotlights like the Air Jordan X ‘Stealth’ are still available in retail stores, so will the Cool Grey XII join it? Let us know if you plan on copping or passing on the Air Jordan XII ‘Cool Grey’ below by leaving a comment and voting in the quick poll.
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While the 23rd Anniversary of the Air Jordan XII won’t go down until the year 2019 (or 2020, if JB wants to keep everything neat), Jordan Brand has marked ‘year 15′ as a milestone worthy enough for a Retro comeback as this Summer 2012 season will see four Air Jordan XII releases hit stores. The lone GS-exclusive is the Black/Sired Red colorway, which adopts a familiar ‘Flu Game’ like approach but with a punchier Siren Red and the unique mudguard panel, which uses a glossy casing and a funky silver finish on the faux-reptile skin. A release date for this particular release has be rumored to be this Saturday, May 12th, but nothing has been set in stone just yet (but do keep an eye out). A new gallery of images below, so take a look and stay tuned to Sneaker News for more release information. Photos: taobao
Air Jordan XII GS
Black/Siren Red
510815-008
05/2012
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