Rare Air: Jordan PEs and the Players Who Made Them Famous
Featuring MJ, Kobe, Ray Allen and more.
During the reign of MJ, picking up a pair of Air Jordans meant you were getting the same product that Mike himself was wearing on the hardwood. The build, style and technology—everything MJ cared about the most—was carried over to the general release product, meaning fans could wear the exact same shoes as their idol. And while for the most part this is true, there were a few notable occasions where Nike tweaked a shoe for His Airness to make his performance better, or to give him an extra bit of flair for certain games.
Among the first of these debuted off the hardwood entirely. Taking a break from basketball to pursue his childhood dream of being a professional baseball player, MJ laced up the Air Jordan 9 with special “45” stitching on the back heel, while the general release model of the AJ9 bore his familiar “23,” a subtle difference yet an important footnote in the history of Air Jordan Player Exclusives.
When Michael Jordan returned to the game of basketball in 1995, the AJ10 had already been released as an homage to his career, blending performance elements with details that reflected Mike’s era-defining accomplishments. Back on the court, he changed his uniform number and received a special colorway of the Air Jordan 10 'Chicago.' Regarded as a Player Exclusive, a “45” graphic was stitched on the lateral heel area, something not featured on the regular release pair. Although there had been personalized sneakers for athletes and celebrities dating back to the ’70s—including the AJ9 worn by MJ on the baseball diamond just a year earlier—this pair in particular kicked off the beginning of the Air Jordan Player Exclusive.
Decades later, Player Exclusives remain among the rarest sneakers, with select pairs becoming an indelible part of footwear history. To commemorate the release of one of the year’s most coveted PEs—the Air Jordan VIII 'University of Oregon' available exclusively via an auction by GOAT and Division Street—we revisit some of the NBA’s most iconic Player Exclusives.