I still remember the first time I saw the Air Jordan 13 in person. I was a lowly freshman in high school in Spanish when one of my classmates – a junior who played for the varsity basketball team – walked in with a fresh pair of the White and True Red colorway (note: they’re getting a retro release in a few weeks) tied to his backpack. Growing up in the 909 during the ’90s, Air Jordans were a rare commodity; you weren’t automatically cool because you owned a pair of Js, but they definitely helped set you apart from the sea of Airwalks, Vans, and other skate shoes. Unlike today when kids rock retros for everyday use, very few kids in my era wore basketball shoes for anything other than basketball. And if you wore Jordans on the court back then, you better be able to back it up with your game.
Side Note: I’m not going to be that person that says things were so much better back when I was kid and having Jordans actually meant something, but I will say times were definitely different. Whether that’s good or bad or whatever is entirely up to you.
Anyways, prior to the 13s, the Air Jordan 12s and Air Jordan 11s were some of my favorite shoes at the time, so my anticipation for the follow-up was palpable. I had seen MJ wear them prior in games and caught out of focus shots on magazines, but the real was different, or at least, I thought it had to be different. So when I did see them in Spanish class, I had a look, but it wasn’t of amazement. It was a look of bewilderment and befuddlement because something that I had hyped up so much in my mind was letting me down. I had the same feeling when my dad bought me a Sega Mega Drive (the Japanese Genesis) and the game we brought home was Altered Beast. That game was a flaming piece of garbage and left me with an empty feeling inside. The Air Jordan 13 left me feeling the same way; it’s the freaking Altered Beast of sneakers.
The Air Jordan 13 is arguably one of the best Air Jordans ever made. The story behind it is now the stuff of legend, from the personal connection Tinker Hatfield and Michael Jordan had with the shoe to the distinction of being the first Nike shoe designed primarily to a computer to the historical significance of it being the shoe MJ worn in his final season with the Chicago Bulls, it’s right up there with the Air Jordan 1, Air Jordan 3 and a handful of others in the pantheon of most beloved Js. I respect the 13 and it’s place in the history of Jordan the man and the Jordan the brand, but I can’t for the life of me be bothered to look at them let alone wear a pair. It’s not you, Tinker, I swear. It’s me.
If you’ve been reading Kicks On Fire for the past several years, you’ll know that my loathing for the 13 is not a secret. It’s a running joke among the staff and those who know me well so when we have to cover the 13s, I do my best to avoid having to work on that beat. So why the long-winded exposition? Well, I was just seeded a pair of Air Jordan 13 Black Cat by Champs Sports. Joke’s on me, right?
The post KoF Live: The Awkward Moment When You Get The Air Jordan 13 Black Cat appeared first on KicksOnFire.com.
