The Legend of the "Legend Blue" Air Jordan 11

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This weekend marks the annual tradition of a retro Air Jordan 11 release just days before Christmas. This year, the “Legend Blue” Air Jordan 11 will hit stores that already has Jordan fans and sneakerheads in a frenzy even just to get a ticket to buy the $200 retro Jordan shoe. But why? On the outside, what makes this one so special? Why is this Air Jordan 11 so highly coveted and even more so this “Legend Blue” colorway.

One of the great things that happens almost every time this time of year are the emails, calls, Facebook taggings, etc. from friends around the globe who see the news coverage as this is the little bit of visual understanding they have of just how much enthusiasm there can be for a shoe. This year more than ever though, I was asked about the name and more specifically, why is this shoe so legendary?

With legal red tape, getting the official story behind the original and 2001 retros being called “Columbia Blue” may never be confirmed. The shade of is shared by two different entities. One, a former Nike school now, Columbia University. The other, a Portland based athletic sporting goods company, Columbia Sportswear. Whatever the case, calling the shoe’s color “Columbia Blue” was off now off the table, but did Jordan Brand see this as an opportunity to rebrand and tell a deeper story? A story that it and of itself is a legend?

There are plenty of names of the shade of blue that could have been used, but could any be as loaded and ambiguous as “legend”?

Let us look for a minute at the world “legend” that makes a headline on the shoe.

leg·end

adjective 1. very well known.

As an adjective, pretty unassuming, right? Very well known. But why is it so well known is the deeper question. Now take a look at the dictionary definition as a noun as it applies to this instance.

leg·end

noun 1. a traditional story sometimes popularly regarded as historical but unauthenticated.

noun 2. an extremely famous or notorious person, especially in a particular field.

noun 3. historical.

How does the “Legend Blue” Air Jordan 11 match with these definitions and descriptions? Simply said, all of the above, but before declaring it like that, let’s look at how we got here.

1996 – A Legend is Born

Michael Jordan wearing the Air Jordan 11 “Columbia” during 1996 NBA All-Star Game

The stage was set. The city of San Antonio and the Alamodome was prepped for the 46th edition of the NBA All-Star Game.

For the second straight year, the league’s best were dressed in host-city-centric colors and special graphics for the game between the best. While the fiesta inspired jerseys had lots of buzz, the return of the game’s greatest to the annual exhibition was what made the weekend like any other.

Michael Jordan abruptly left the game in 1993 and left behind just as many questions. Answers were given with his return in 1995 despite an earlier than expected exit in the Playoffs, but his first All-Star Game appearance since the retirement made the game even bigger of an event. Leading the Chicago Bulls to an incredible start of 42-5 record before All-Star Weekend, Michael was back and better than ever.

The game had changed in sneakers too by the spring of 1996. The competition had their rising stars in the sneaker world. Reebok had Shawn Kemp and Shaq, FILA had Grant Hill, but even within Nike, Jordan had new label mates including Charles Barkley and the new kid on the block, Penny Hardaway. The All-Star Game was not only a new opportunity to shine, it was the new opportunity to catch viewer’s attention with special shoes.

Michael Jordan wearing the Air Jordan 11 “Columbia” at 1996 All-Star Game

All eyes and cameras were on Mike when he took the court for the role call of starters for the main event Sunday afternoon. Stepping onto the court, he donned a new colorway of the Air Jordan 11 that we had never seen before and was it ever amazing. With white leather replacing the ballistic mesh, a shiny and perfectly pristine white patent leather wrap around the shoe finished off with an icy light blue outsole – it was something legendary.

Air Jordan 11 “Columbia” OG (1996) ? Flight Club

The color was the third consecutive model of the Air Jordan line to pay homage to Mike’s roots of North Carolina. The Air Jordan 1 received a Carolina colorway, but it wasn’t until he retired from the game that Nike took it all back to where MJ came from in celebrating his Carolina days when he started his legendary career.

Michael Jordan featured in an ad paying homage to UNC (1994)

MJ put on a great performance in the shoes taking home All-Star Game MVP honors for the first time since he was sporting the Jordan 3’s in 1988. The next day at school I remember kids talking about the Slam Dunk contest (who was Brent Barry?), the main event of the ASG, but most of all Jordan’s shoes. With Sportscenter only happening a couple times a day, no YouTube, no sneaker blogs, you either saw them or you didn’t.

2001 – Return of a Legend

Air Jordan 11 “Columbia” (2001) ? Flight Club

Less than five years after their debut in the game and in stores, Jordan Brand brought back the “Columbias” in January of 2001. Perhaps overshadowed by the prior two drops of the shoe in the Concord colorway and the long awaited Space Jam release, the shoes were a seller at retail, but nothing that was too crazy.

Things had changed by the time the 2001 Columbia release happened. Jordan Brand was still early in its new run at retros, but I remember looking at the shoe and thinking that something was missing. It just wasn’t the same. Without the icy blue tinted sole, they just weren’t the same as they were back then. The blue that made the shoe what it was was just on the Jumpman on the heel and a little spot on the tongue label. That was it.

2014 – A Legend Reborn

Jordan Brand started a drought for fans of the Air Jordan 11 after the December 2001 release of the Playoffs. Gone in a flash, the Defining Moments Pack brought back the Air Jordan 11, but with gold accents replacing the original Concord touches. It wasn’t until December of 2008 that in the year long Countdown Pack run did Jordan fans get reunited with an OG colored Jordan 11 – again, the Black/Varsity Red 11s packaged with Taxi 12s for $310 in the midst of the financial world collapsing.

The following year, Jordan Brand started what has now become an annual epic run of December Air Jordan 11 retro releases. 2009 brought the Space Jams for the first time in 9 years. 2010 gave us the Cool Greys for again, the first time in just over 9 years. 2011 saw the bring back of the Concords, and 2012 we got the Playoffs (now known as “Breds”). Was 2013 going to be the year of the Columbias? Were they next? It only made sense as they were the ONLY original Air Jordan 11 that had not returned. Welp, to the disappointment of many OG heads, we got Gamma’d in 2013.

All was quiet on the Jordan Brand front regarding the next December Jordan 11 release until photos leaked at the end of April to message boards of samples of the shoes. At last, they were coming.

Much to the delight of many, the shoes were not only coming back, but coming back in original form with the icy blue tinted outsoles. But this time a new name – the Air Jordan 11 “Legend Blue”.

Making it a Legend

This is far from Jordan Brand’s first rodeo. They aren’t new to this. They get it. They understand and respect the significance these shoes hold to so many fans of MJ and fans of Jordan Brand.

This holiday season, Jordan Brand started celebrating the return of the “Legend Blue” Air Jordan 11 in October. With the launch of the Riverwalk collection of retros, performance, and lifestyle sneakers, Jordan Brand was preparing us for what was to come – a nod to the host city that the shoes became legendary.

The Legend Blue story carries itself across a number of different silhouettes from Jordan including the Jordan 1 Mid and Jordan Velocity, but also on a wide range of apparel and accessories. Even a sneaker backpack was cooked up for the occasion. (View the entire Jordan Legend Blue Collection)

With just a week until launch, the official photos of the “Legend Blue” Air Jordan 11s were released and the shoes were officially added to the launch calendar. The wait is almost over.

Air Jordan 11 “Legend Blue”

2024 – A Legend Returns

In 2024, after sitting in the vault for a decade, the Legend Blue Jordan 11 retro will release on December 14, 2024. Like last time, the shoes are available for the entire family from crib size through mens.