The 10 Best Air Jordans of 2023
By
By Stadium Goods |The 10 Best Air Jordans of 2023
Our picks for the ten best Air Jordan retro releases of 2023.
Matt DeSciora
Where would sneaker culture be without Air Jordans? It’s undeniable that Michael Jordan’s signature shoes have been at the forefront of style ever since Jordan debuted the Air Jordan 1 with the Chicago Bulls. And that continues to be the case in 2023, 25 years after Jordan last suited up for the team.
Today, Air Jordans are some of the most popular sneakers in the world due to their on-court heritage tied to the “GOAT,” and several other factors, too: collaborations, an appreciation for all things nostalgia, and movies like 2023’s “AIR” film and 2020’s “The Last Dance” docu-series.
As we look back on the year that was in 2023, it was another case of business as usual for Jordan Brand as far as releasing great sneakers that the community appreciates for the reasons mentioned above. You’ll see that momentarily as we go through what we’ve selected as the best Air Jordans of 2023.
Air Jordan 3 “White Cement Reimagined”
The Air Jordan 3 “White Cement Reimagined” is definitely one of the best sneaker releases of the year so far. And that’s pretty obvious the moment you look at the shoe. Inspired by the Jordan 3’s original and iconic “White Cement” style, the “White Cement Reimagined” features details that haven’t been seen on any of the model’s recent retro releases. We’re talking about “Nike Air” branding on the heel, of course, but also updated elephant accenting that matches the patterning on the OG pair, a more accurate mid-top shape, and aged details that call to mind an unworn, original version of the Jordan 3 “White Cement” that you might have found in the stock room of a mom and pop sneaker shop in the early ‘90s.
After Jordan Brand re-released the Air Jordan 4 “Lightning” in 2021, it was all but a foregone conclusion that the brand would also bring back the Air Jordan 4 “Thunder” to complete the classic “Thunder & Lightning” pack that debuted in 2006. That’s exactly what happened earlier this year when, for the first time in over a decade, the Jordan 4 “Thunder” returned to sneaker culture. Just like both the original 2006 pair and the standalone 2012 pair, the modern “Thunder” features an eye-catching black-and-yellow color block that shows love to the former signature colors of Michael Jordan’s now-defunct Jordan Motorsports brand. In other words, the Jordan 4 “Thunder” is sneaker nostalgia at its finest.
Air Jordan 1 High ‘85 “Black/White”
A new year, a new Air Jordan 1 High ‘85. This time, Jordan Brand decided to capitalize on the popularity of the Nike Dunk’s “Panda” colorway by bringing back the original “Black/White” style that debuted way back in 1985. Released sparingly over the years, the “Black/White” was never worn by Jordan with the Chicago Bulls, but the colorway has become one of the most iconic for the Jordan 1 due to its timeless appearance.
Nike SB x Air Jordan 4 “Pine Green”
Collaborations between Nike SB and Jordan Brand aren’t too common these days, but whenever they happen, it’s something special. That was once again the case when the two footwear brands teamed up to create the Nike SB x Air Jordan 4 “Pine Green.” The shoe features an overall design more closely inspired by the OG Jordan 4, as well as the same color block as the Jordan 4’s original “Military Blue” release, but adds skate-specific design elements to help it perform better on the board.
Air Jordan 1 High OG “Spider-Man Across the Spider-Verse”
It’s rare that the sequel ever lives up to the hype of the original. That goes for almost everything in life. Except in the case of the Air Jordan 1 High OG “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” and the blockbuster film it draws inspiration from. The “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” is the much ballyhooed follow-up to the Air Jordan 1 High OG “Spider-Man: Origin Story” from 2019. This time around, the “Spider-Man Across the Spider-Verse” celebrates the 2023 movie of the same name, as one could imagine. Also as one could imagine by looking at the shoe, the colorway draws favorably from the Jordan 1’s no-introduction-needed “Chicago” style from 1985. Needless to say it’s one of the year’s best releases.
Jordan Brand’s dedication to remastering classic Air Jordan models continued with the reissue of the Air Jordan 8 “Playoffs” in 2023. The modern version of the shoe that Michael Jordan wore in the 1993 NBA Playoffs with the Chicago Bulls features all the same details that made the original colorway such a classic sneaker, including red pull tabs on the heel like the design of the ‘93 release (the last retro of the colorway had black pull tabs). The modern Jordan 8 “Playoffs” is proof that, in order to be a great remastered Air Jordan, all a shoe needs are a few true-to-OG specifications.
Another holiday season, another new Air Jordan 11 release, this time coming in the form of the “Gratitude” colorway. Clearly inspired by the Jordan 11 “DMP” from 2006’s “Defining Moments Pack,” the “Gratitude” features a Metallic Gold Jumpman on the collar, and a pretty clean, pretty iconic white-on-black color scheme that undoubtedly references the Jordan 11 “Concord.” In other words, this is a timeless colorway for a timeless sneaker.
The late 1990s were a special time for Nike basketball sneakers, and few shoes were more popular in the culture than the Air Jordan 12 “Cherry.” Released in 1997, the “Cherry” was worn by “His Airness” throughout the Chicago Bulls ‘96-97 regular season before it was brought back by Jordan Brand as a retro shoe this year. The modern version of the white-and-red Jordan 12 has all the same old school details as the OG edition, which is why it lands on our year-end list of the best Jordan sneakers of 2023.
Travis Scott x Air Jordan 1 Low Golf
You know a trend is worth investing in when Travis Scott gives it a co-sign. That’s exactly what happened when the hip-hop star put his stamp of approval on the golf sneaker trend by releasing his collaborative Air Jordan 1 Low Golf in October. Like Travis’s earlier Jordan 1 collaborations, the golf version of the classic Air Jordan shoe features an oversized, reversed Swoosh and a versatile color scheme for an undeniably fashionable look.
For his third collaboration with Jordan Brand, J Balvin brought a colorful new design to the Air Jordan 3 inspired by the sunset in his hometown in Colombia. Just like his first two collaborations with Jordan Brand, the recording artist’s Jordan 3 “Medellín Sunset” is what we like to call “wearable art,” which makes it one of the most successful sneaker releases of 2023.