How Michael Jordan debuted one of his most iconic shoes

The date was May 7, 1995, and Michael Jordan was back in the NBA Playoffs after a period away from the game spent playing professional baseball. The landscape that he returned to, though, was far from the one he used to rule over, as he faced one of the dominant Eastern Conference teams of that time—the Orlando Magic—in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

His Airness was unfazed and decided to debut one of his most iconic sneakers in Game 1 of the series—the Air Jordan 11.

Iconic kicks

The iconic kicks, which featured black patent leather upper, were an immediate hit with sneakerheads. The look was unique compared to other basketball shoes of that era. Moreover, when Jordan rocked them in Games 1 and 2 of the series, they stood out even more as the Bulls were wearing their traditional red and black road uniforms.

The Jordan 11 was designed by Tinker Hatfield and received a lot of attention, primarily because of the mentioned patent leather, which was a material that was normally used for dress shoes. The silhouette also had a carbon fiber plate and full-length Zoom Air cushioning for optimal comfort.

Jordan's subpar Game 1

The Air Jordan 11s debut may have been a hit, but Jordan's performance in them wasn't. Perhaps still shaking off the rust from his "retirement," MJ looked mortal, especially in crunch time when he lost the ball to Nick Anderson and watched his former teammate Horace Grant score the game-winning dunk on the other end.

Jordan's stat line was brutal, as he scored just 19 points on 8-of-22 shooting. Worst of all, Jordan committed as many as eight turnovers, including two in the game's most crucial moments.

28 YEARS AGO TODAY
Nick Anderson's "The Steal" from Michael Jordan (debuting the Air Jordan 11 'Concord')

MJ returned to his No. 23 jersey after Nick said: "No. 45 doesn't explode like 23 used to. 45 is not 23. I couldn't have done that to No. 23."

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