It’s time again for the sneaker world’s most cherished holiday tradition: Jordan Brand’s annual December drop of a rare Air Jordan 11 colorway. The AJ11 is a true sneakerhead’s sneaker, the Jordan fan’s Jordan, even legendary designer Tinker Hatfield’s favorite Jordan silhouette. When it first debuted in 1995, the shoe’s patent leather mudguard was unlike anything anyone had ever seen on a performance sneaker, and nearly 30 years later it’s retained a peerless reputation among collectors.
Many of the most beloved versions of the Air Jordan 11 skew towards darker tones. There are the ‘Bred’ 11s, which Michael Jordan laced up during the 1996 NBA Finals; the ‘Space Jam’ 11s, in which MJ battled the Monstars in the movie of the same name; and the ‘Concord’ 11s, which caused riots outside sneaker shops when they were rereleased in 2011. All of those certifiable classics heavily feature black in the mix. But this year’s Jordan 11 drop centers on a brighter, fresher colorway that hasn’t been rereleased since 2014: the Air Jordan 11 ‘Legend Blue,’ whose icy palette draws inspiration from MJ’s alma mater, the University of North Carolina.
In recent years, the Jordan 11’s vaunted December drops have continued to make noise with the ‘Gratitude,’ ‘Cherry,’ and ‘Cool Grey’ makeups taking center stage in 2023, 2022, and 2021, respectively. But when the stark, refreshing ‘Legend Blue’ hits SNKRS on December 14 for $225, it seems destined to attract even more attention and demand than any of its immediate predecessors. Set your alarms now, because having to cop these bad boys via resale won’t be pretty for your wallet.
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