In 2011, I lucked into a pair of Air Jordan 11 Concords before release. It was the symbolic beginning of my deep dive as a “journalist” into the world of sneakers and the culture that surrounds it. The “patent leather Jordans” were kicks that I always wanted but time and money (I refuse to pay resale except in very extreme circumstances) never intersected until I started writing about kicks for a living. In that time, I’ve been able to cross off a number of sneakers off my wish list, thanks to relationships I’ve made with people in the industry and brands bringing back the classics over and over again. Whether or not they intended this to be the case, between their remastering efforts, the price increases and the bump in production numbers, Jordan Brand has made it easier than ever to fill the holes in our collections.
I want to own all the colorways of Air Jordan 11. As it stands, my current count is pathetically low, as I’m missing everything from the DMPs to the Gift Of Flights. But there’s a difference between “want” and “need.” While it would be nice to have all of the 11s, there’s really only two that I have to own to fill out my checklist. One of them were the Concords. The other? The Space Jams. Now I have both.
And not only do I have a pair of Space Jams, it has the “45” in the back and is a recreation of the player exclusive that Michael Jordan when he unretired (the first time). People will debate until the end of time whether or not these are true Space Jams, and it is a debate that should be had so that people can truly have an understanding of the history of the shoe, but on a personal level? I don’t care anymore because I’m done with retros.
I have 3s with Nike Air on the back. I have the Infrared 6s that MJ wore to win his first championship. I have the Playoff 12s, aka the greatest Air Jordan ever made. I don’t need more. Yes, there will always be retros that I “want” and would be nice to have in stock either for personal reasons or coverage on the site, but in terms of feeling complete, I’m already there. And that’s all, folks.
Thanks to Champs Sports for sending this size 11.5 pair our way. Check out the unboxing video up top and for more information on this release, be sure to check out our Air Jordan 11 Space Jam launch page for all the latest news, including links to buy on Saturday.
The post The Last Retros I’ll Ever Need: Air Jordan 11 Space Jam Unboxing (Video) appeared first on KicksOnFire.com.