Always Cool: Early Preview of the 2021 Air Jordan 11 “Cool Grey”

Always Cool: Early Preview of the 2021 Air Jordan 11 “Cool Grey”

We’ve got pairs of the 2021 “Cool Grey” Retro now, which means you get to take an early look at the celebrated colorway.

Matt DeSciora

Back in the day, the mere rumor of Michael Jordan’s return to the NBA was absolutely grounds for introducing a fresh colorway to the Air Jordan franchise. In March 2001, Jordan Brand debuted the original Air Jordan 11 “Cool Grey” in an effort to usher in an exciting new era for the Air Jordan collection and its namesake, who in hindsight, was about to embark on an interesting new career path.

A little more than twenty years later, the “Cool Grey” is back to remind everyone that the smooth, neutral-based design is as “OG” as any original Air Jordan colorway—even if Michael wore the shoe with the Washington Wizards, not the Chicago Bulls.

To understand the “Cool Grey” Air Jordan 11’s greatness is to acknowledge the fact that the shoe debuted at the very beginning of the retro Air Jordan era. By the early 2000s, sneaker collectors had become understandably nostalgic for their favorite Air Jordan shoes, especially the Air Jordan 11, which was still relatively new to the signature collection at the time. The “Cool Grey” satiated collector’s desire for classic Air Jordans, and also brought a lifestyle-focused look to one of the greatest basketball shoes ever made.

The “Cool Grey” franchise had caught on by the time the Air Jordan 11 “Cool Grey” came back for a second time in December 2010. The Air Jordan 3, Air Jordan 4, and Air Jordan 9 had all been released in their own respective “Cool Grey” themes (the Jordan 9 had also been worn by Jordan with the Wizards). The Air Jordan 5 even appeared in “Wolf Grey,” too. It’s safe to say that Michael’s wearing of the first Air Jordan 11 “Cool Grey” 2001 release with the Wizards during an October 2001 preseason game against Denver Nuggets, and numerous occasions thereafter, helped the “Cool Grey’s” cache.

Now in 2021, the Air Jordan 11 “Cool Grey” is back for a third time, and it's appearance is faithful to the original shoe—if not even better now that the higher cut patent leather panel has been added like all recent remastered Jordan 11 Retros, including the Jordan 11 Low "Cool Grey" from 2018. But unfortunately, this time it doesn’t look like Michael Jordan will be coming out of retirement again to wear a pair on court.

The new 2021 Air Jordan 11 “Cool Grey” is now available at Stadium Goods.