Celebrating the Air Jordan 10's 30th Anniversary
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By Stadium Goods |Celebrating the Air Jordan 10's 30th Anniversary
Looking back at the iconic sneaker and its historic place in the Air Jordan line, and highlighting 10 of our favorite colorways.
Matt DeSciora
The Air Jordan 10 only appeared briefly on Michael Jordan’s feet in the NBA, but the basketball shoe is steeped in history. It was the first model Jordan wore when he returned to basketball following his hiatus from the sport to pursue a career in baseball. It was also the first Air Jordan to be part of a “pack” when it was released in colorways specific to the cities of New York, Orlando, Seattle, Chicago, and Sacramento. At the time, the Jordan 10 released in more original colorways than any OG Jordan shoe, save for the Air Jordan 1, when it debuted back in 1994.
So while the Jordan 10 may not have the championship pedigree that other Jordans from the ‘90s have, the silhouette most definitely has an important place in the history of the most iconic signature shoe line in the world.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of when the Air Jordan 10 first released in 1994 (a few colorways released later in ‘95), and there will no doubt be newfound appreciation for the old school hoops shoe in sneaker culture. With it being only January, we thought it would be a great idea to be early to the Jordan 10 appreciation game, which is why we put together a list of our favorite Jordan 10 colorways—ten, in fact—in stock at Stadium Goods.
Along the way we’ll talk more about the Jordan 10 and its impact on the legacy of the Air Jordan collection, and dive into a little-known fact about the shoe that may surprise you (hint: it has to do with Jordan’s initial reaction to the design of the Jordan 10.)
The Air Jordan 10 “Double Nickel” is essentially the Player Exclusive version of the Jordan 10 “Chicago” that Jordan wore with the Bulls in the latter half of the 1994-1995 NBA season. It features his “45” jersey number on the collar, and other Bulls-inspired details. As for the colorway’s nickname, the “Double Nickel” name is derived from the otherworldly, 55-point performance Jordan had in the shoe against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on March 28, 1995. Ironically, the pairs of this “Chicago” colorway Jordan wore in ‘95 didn’t have the “45” logo embroidery. That was only on his pairs of the “Shadow” colorway worn during the Playoffs.
The “Cool Grey” theme has become synonymous with Air Jordans, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise to see the Air Jordan 10 designed in the colorway. The Jordan 10 “Cool Grey” was released in 2014, and features a nubuck suede construction instead of the model’s traditional leather build. The shoe’s checkerboard inner lining and fiery red accents on the outsole put the “Cool Grey” somewhere between the Jordan 10’s original “Shadow” and “Chicago” colorways.
Before Drake was designing his own signature shoes with Nike, the hip-hop star was teaming up with Jordan Brand on his own premium colorways of classic Jordan models, one of which being the Air Jordan 10 “OVO.” Debuted in 2015, the “OVO” puts a lifestyle twist on the shoe, with stingray leather paneling and flashy Metallic Gold accents. Released in black along with the white colorway here, Drake’s Jordan 10 “OVO” is still among the most desirable Jordan 10s a decade after its release.
SoleFly x Air Jordan 10 "10th Anniversary"
In 2020, Miami-based sneaker retailer SoleFly celebrated its 10th anniversary in the most appropriate of ways: by releasing the Air Jordan 10 in a colorway inspired by the sandy beaches of its home city. While the shoe’s tan suede construction and unique-looking teal “SoleFly” detailing make this colorway a stunner, we’ve always been hyped on the shoe because it represents a family collaboration of sorts. Why? SoleFly’s owner, Carlos Prieto, is Michael Jordan’s brother-in-law.
The Air Jordan 10 is loved by everyone, which is why it was included in the 2013 collection of Nike and Jordan Brand’s Doernbecher Freestyle collection with Doernbecher Children’s Hospital located in Portland, Oregon. The Jordan 10 “Doernbecher” was designed by Daniel Peña, and is one of the silhouette’s most creative colorways to date. A glossy camouflage print inspired by Daniel’s love of video games appears on the upper, while dark red accents throughout the design call to mind Jordan’s former team, the Bulls.
Maya Moore x Women’s Air Jordan 10 NRG “Court Lux”
Designed by Aleali May, who seems to have her hand in all things creative, whether it be fashion, footwear, or otherwise, the Women’s Air Jordan 10 NRG “Court Lux” was made specifically for former WNBA star Maya Moore, and is as adventurous a colorway as there has ever been for the Jordan 10. Colors inspired by Moore’s favorite uniform colors throughout her career give the shoe a head-turning look.
Originally released in 1995, the Air Jordan 10 “Seattle” is one of multiple Jordan 10s from the “City Series.” Why is that significant? Following Jordan’s retirement from basketball, Nike tapped established and up-and-coming NBA players like the Sacramento Kings’ Mitch Richmond, the Orlando Magic’s Nick Anderson, and the Seattle SuperSonics’ Kendall Gill, and others, to continue on the legacy of the Air Jordan line with colorways of new Jordan models designed in honor of their respective teams. The “Sonics” Jordan 10 was made for Gill, as it features the now-defunct NBA team’s green color on its design. Jordan Brand released the Jordan 10 “Seattle” and other colorways from the “City Series” a few years ago as retro models.
An original Air Jordan 10 colorway, and one of three Jordan 10s released in 1994, the “Powder Blue” was created in honor of Jordan’s college alma mater, the University of North Carolina. The “Powder Blue” or sometimes simply called the “UNC” by some, was only the third Jordan model to be designed in a “UNC” theme, after the Jordan 1 and Jordan 9.
Of the eight original Jordan 10s, the “Orlando” was one of five that were released in 1995, in this case as part of the “City Series.” The mostly white, black, and blue colorway was worn by former Orlando Magic swingman Nick Anderson, who coincidentally was Jordan’s opponent in the ‘95 NBA Playoff Eastern Conference Semifinals. Anderson and his backcourt running mate, Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway, both wore colorways of mid-90s Air Jordans inspired by the Magic, including the Jordan 10 “Orlando.”
The Air Jordan 10 “Shadow” is one of the more interesting colorways in the Jordan 10 collection. Jordan wore the shoe for a mere four Playoff games in ‘95, and then never laced it up in another NBA game again. But it wasn’t because he didn’t like the shoe. Well, not after the Jordan 10’s designer, Tinker Hatfield, made a modification to its original design. Initially, the Jordan 10 had a leather toe cap, but Jordan, according to sources, despised it. So Hatfield revised the shoe by removing the overlay, thus giving the Jordan 10 a cleaner look that Jordan preferred. Only the first production run of the “Steel” colorway, which was the first colorway of the 10 to drop in ‘94, ever released at retail with the toe cap.
While we’re on the topic of the Jordan 10’s design, we’d be remiss not to mention another important component of the shoe: it’s outsole. Because it was thought that Jordan would be retiring from the NBA permanently, Hatfield paid tribute to Jordan with a list of his accomplishment for every year in the NBA (from 1985 to 1994) on the striped design of the outsole, which are:
85 ROOKIE OF YEAR
86 63 POINTS
87 SCORING TITLE
88 DUNK CHAMP
89 ALL DEFENSE
90 SCORES 63 POINTS
91 MVP/CHAMPIONSHIP
92 MVP/CHAMPIONSHIP
93 MVP/CHAMPIONSHIP
94 BEYOND