The Nike Air Jordan sneaker brand is one of, if not THE, most iconic and recognizable sneaker brands of all time, and with the release of the XI model, Jordan and his brand again reached new heights of iconography.
Pictured: The Jordan XI model, "Concord" colorway.
The XI models are Jordan’s personal favorites, in fact, it was reported that Jordan loved the sneakers so much that he wore them earlier than Nike had originally wanted him to.
The original Air Jordan XI was released in 1995, and ran from 1995-96 in its original debut; both the mid and the low cut were released at the same time, though the mid-high XIs were (and still are) far more popular and sought after than the lows.
Worn first by Michael Jeffrey Jordan (or “Air Jordan”, or “His Airness”) on May 7th , 1995 during the NBA Eastern Conference Finals where Jordan and his Chicago Bulls were facing a young Shaquille O’Neal and the Orlando Magic; it was in this game Jordan debuted the Jordan XI model, and the “Concord” colorway.
The “Bred” colorway, the ones worn by Jordan during the first and last games in the 1996 series against the Seattle Supersonics (now the “Oklahoma City Thunder”), are now the iconic colorway for the shoes, with the “Concord” colorway being a close second.
Retro re-releases of the original models in 2000 were the first instance of the model being re-issued but the Jordan XIs are still being re-released and re-modeled till´ this day (as of October 2021).
Pictured: Michael Jordan debuting the Jordan XI model and "Concord" colorway against the Orlando Magic.
In their initial release, the Jordan XIs were sold for only $125, now, a pair in near mint condition, including the original box also in great condition, of Jordan XIs could (and often does) sell for perhaps double that price; the “Bred” model of the shoes being the pair going for the highest amount ($300+ on average) and of course the “Concord” going for about as much if not the same (I personally purchased a pre-owned pair, box and all, in great condition for little over $200).
And now, with re-releases and the prices of sneakers increasing, the re-sell price of these sneakers, along with their original pricings, have gone up; it becomes almost impossible to guess prices confidently with every new iteration of the sneaker. For serious collectors the sky is the limit, but for sneakerheads on a budget, copping a pair of XIs at a reasonable price is becoming harder and harder, as is the case with most sneakers of this kind of caliber.
Pictured: Michael Jordan wearing the "Bred" colorway after winning the 1996 NBA finals against the Seattle Supersonics. // source: Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images
The release of the Jordan XI sparked a new era of the Air Jordan Sneakers, its unconventional design helped to cement its legacy in the Sneaker Hall of Fame. Until the XIs, the Jordan Models pre-ceding were not nearly as avant-garde in design; the Jordan XI model featured a patent leather on leather design. The introduction of the leather-on-leather design was bold and unheard of; the shoes looked strange but had an undeniable magnetism.
Not only Jordan wore his shoes, but also other NBA players; Scottie Pippen, the Robin to Jordan’s Batman, famously wore a pair on live television when asking Jordan to return to the sport, a year before the release of the now coveted XI model; though the pair worn then by Scottie were not Jordan XI, they were the Air Jordan X Model, the “Chicago” colorway, specifically. As mentioned before, not only was Michael Jordan and the rest of the world madly in love with the shoes, but also Jordan’s teammates and other fellow NBA players. Quentin Richardson, a former NBA player, tells of how excited he and his fellow teammates were to receive a pair of the XIs early, the at the time new “Cool Grey” colorway.
Pictured: Scottie Pippen beckoning Michael Jordan to return to the NBA wearing, a year before the release of the XI model, and another Chicago Bulls championship.
Since their debut, the Jordan XIs have been re-released a total of 22 times. The Jordan XIs have been continuously re-released for 25 years now, and with each drop they still sellout, even now. Re-sellers even have trouble getting their hands on a pair of newly released XIs whenever they drop, even with the aid and usage of bots.
It's clear that the XI model of the Air Jordan's has become a favorite, and an eternal staple of the Air Jordan line.
Citations
1994-95 Chicago Bulls roster and stats. Basketball. (n.d.). Retrieved October 18, 2021, from https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CHI/1995.html. “Air Jordan 11 (XI): Jordan.” Sole Collector, Complex Media, 2021, https://solecollector.com/sd/00861/jordan/air-jordan-11-xi.