Throwback Thursday: Nike Air Jordan XI

Tomorrow, the greatest that ever took the court will be honored with his official enshrinement at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. ?We could spend hours and compose pages of all of the great things that Michael Jordan did for the game of basketball among many other things.

Besides forever changing the sport of basketball, Michael Jordan’s impact on the footwear forever changed the scope of the business. ?This week we honor the greatest that ever played with (our office opinion) of the greatest shoes Michael wore on court – the Nike Air Jordan XI.

Michael returned to the game in mid-March from retirement to help his Bulls into the Playoffs. ?On May 7, 1995, Michael Jordan laced up in something new and something fresh for Game 1 of the Conference Semi’s against the Orlando Magic. ?Though the Bulls dropped Game 1 and MJ was only able to put up 19 points, many fans were talking about what Mike had on his feet.

The shoes shiny black patent leather on a white upper caught more than the attention of virtually every camera man in the building, but also the NBA. ?Just like the old days, Mike was hit with a $5k fine for having footwear that was out of line.

MJ and the Bulls did fall short in the 1995 Playoffs, but roared through the 1995-96 season setting an unbelievable regular season record of 72-10 while MJ averaged 30.4 points per game. ?The Playoffs proved to be not much of a challenge for the Bulls either as they cruised through losing only 3 games in total of all rounds.

What makes the Air Jordan XI special for you? ?Is it the shoes beauty? ?Is it what Jordan accomplished in the shoes?