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Sneaker nicknames can derive from a variety of inspirations. Some sneaker companies and collaborators opt for local flavor, while others reach into other cultures for the first step in the creative process. We uncover the usage of both techniques in the latest installment of Sneaker Nicknames Explained. Let us know which sneaker nicknames you would like to see us explain further in the comment section.
Air Jordan 4 “Black Cat”
Outside of occasionally going by a derivative of “Air” (i.e “His Airness”), Michael Jordan never had a well-known nickname. MJ or Jordan sufficed both during his career and afterwards. However, a little known fact is that friends began to call MJ “Black Cat” around 1996. Though the Air Jordan 13 was designed with a Black Panther in mind, it was the blacked-out Air Jordan 4 “Black Cat” that released in 1996 that was inspired by the little known nickname.
