Every Air Jordan Retro Worn by Michael Jordan With the Washington Wizards
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By Stadium Goods |Every Air Jordan Retro Worn by Michael Jordan With the Washington Wizards
Rounding up all the Air Jordan retros that MJ wore on court as a Wizard that you can still cop for yourself right now.
Matt DeSciora
Michael Jordan’s illustrious career didn’t have the storybook ending it should have had after leading the Chicago Bulls to six NBA Championships in the 1990s. But that doesn’t mean his final years in the NBA with the Washington Wizards should be frowned upon. Even in his waning years in the League, Jordan proved he could still hang with basketball’s elite, and break an NBA record or two while doing so. He also proved that he could still create plenty of excitement on a nightly basis by wooing fans with his sneakers.
With the Wizards, Jordan debuted the Air Jordan 17 and Air Jordan 18, which helped continue the Air Jordan line’s legacy during a time when it probably needed all the help it could get. Perhaps even more importantly, Jordan helped fuel the then-blossoming retro basketball shoe craze when he took to the court in old school models like the Air Jordan 3 and Air Jordan 11. His wearing of those iconic Jordans stoked plenty of nostalgic memories of years gone by for veteran sneaker collectors, and gave context to the Air Jordan brand to fans who may have been watching “His Airness” play for the first time.
Collectors will once again be reminded of Jordan’s brief-but-meaningful stint with the Wizards one more time when the Air Jordan 3 “Wizards” debuts later this week on April 29th. The colorway, which is based on the Jordan 3’s original and iconic “True Blue” release from 1988, is actually designed after a Player Exclusive version of the shoe that Jordan wore in his first season with the Wizards in 2001-02.
The Jordan 3 “Wizards” isn’t the only great, old school Air Jordan that MJ wore with the Wizards that’s available to purchase at Stadium Goods. In fact, there’s quite a bit of Wizards-era Jordans in our inventory right now. Here’s a roundup of all the Air Jordan retros that he laced up while in a Wizards uniform.
The Air Jordan 3 “True Blue” was an original colorway of the model from 1988, but it was never worn by Jordan with the Bulls because it didn’t match the team’s uniforms. It did, however, match the Wizards’ uniforms, and so early in Jordan’s time in Washington, the “True Blue” finally made its NBA debut on Jordan’s feet, albeit in this version with copper accents instead of red. The “Wizards” Jordan 3 that will be releasing on April 29th is inspired by this rare, formerly unreleased Player Exclusive colorway.
Sure, Jordan’s stint with the Wizards didn’t result in any NBA Championships—or Playoff appearances, for that matter. But it did help promote the “Cool Grey” colorway theme, which is almost as good in our opinion. The “Cool Grey” color story was unveiled on the Air Jordan 11 in spectacular fashion in 2001. It then appeared on other retro Jordans, including the Air Jordan 9. Jordan wore both the Jordan 11 and Jordan 9 “Cool Grey” colorways with the Wizards, but his doing so of the Jordan 9 “Cool Grey” may have been a little more significant because it was the first time he had worn the Air Jordan 9 in the NBA, as it had originally been released while he was retired from basketball in 1994.
As we mentioned in the intro, along with wearing new colorways of classic Jordans, “The GOAT” also debuted two new Air Jordan silhouettes with the Wizards: the Air Jordan 17 and the Air Jordan 18. Before wearing the Jordan 18 during his final season with the team, Jordan started out the ‘02-03 NBA season in the Air Jordan 17+ “Copper,” a lifestyle-oriented version of the basketball shoe with premium materials, and on this colorway, croc-inspired details. Jordan memorably wore the “Copper” during a showdown with the late, great Kobe Bryant in ‘02.
The Air Jordan 7 “French Blue” was another new colorway of a classic Air Jordan model that made its debut in the Wizards era. Although it wasn’t a regular part of Jordan’s sneaker rotation in either of his seasons in Washington, it was still cool to see Jordan Brand create colorways specific to the Wizards, something that no one would’ve ever thought would’ve been possible in the ‘90s.
And that brings us to arguably the greatest sneaker worn by Jordan with the Wizards: the Air Jordan 11 “Cool Grey.” The “Cool Grey” is considered iconic because of Jordan’s co-sign, undoubtedly, but had MJ not worn it, it still would have been among the most hyped shoes of the early 2000s. The “Cool Grey” was the Jordan 11’s first non-original colorway (if you don’t count the “Space Jam,” which was first seen in the 1996 film but not released until 2000). Jordan’s co-sign of the “Cool Grey” by wearing it with the Wizards sealed its legacy.