The next two years are shaping up to be one of the most eventful stretches in Nike and Jordan Brand's history as they continue to bring back the most classic Air Jordan sneakers worn throughout Michael Jordan's legendary career. Now, celebrating the 10-year anniversary of their original release, Nike will release an Air Jordan 1 based off an iconic and unbelievable moment from Jordan on the court.
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Following his rookie season in 1984-85, Michael Jordan played a single exhibition game on August 26, 1985 in Trieste, Italy during a tournament sponsored by Nike. It was one of many coming-out parties for the newest star in basketball and throughout the game, Jordan showed attendees why his nickname was “Air” with all of his acrobatic moves around the hoop. After scoring 39 points throughout the game, Michael Jordan famously went up for a dunk and threw it down so hard that the backboard shattered, effectively ending the game and leaving the entire crowd in shock.
It's “normal” to see big men like Shaquille O'Neal famously break backboards with thunderous dunks, but at the time, it was unheard-of that a player of Michael Jordan's stature could achieve such a feat. Nevertheless, he was doing things no one else had done up to that point and the event continues to live in basketball lore forever. Back in 2015, Nike and Air Jordan released a special Air Jordan 1 colorway to commemorate the unbelievable moment. Now, 10 years later, we'll see the infamous “Shattered Backboard” Air Jordan 1 make a return.
Air Jordan 1 “Shattered Backboard”
First released in 2015, Nike and Jordan commemorated the moment with a special Black/Orange colorway of the Air Jordan 1, which Jordan was wearing when he threw down the dunk. The hits of orange are made to resemble the uniform he was wearing and the insoles contain graphics of shattered glass for obvious reasons. At the time, many sneakerheads regrettably passed-up on this pair, later seeing their resale value skyrocket due to the clean ensemble and exclusivity.
Now, we'll see the same Air Jordan 1 return in the Black/Black-Sail-Starfish colorway come 2025, to celebrate the anniversary of their original release. The all-leather upper features Black running through the tongue, eyelets, toeguard, ankle collar, and Nike Swoosh. We see the vibrant Starfish Orange gracing the heel, ankle, outsole, and toebox, contrasted with White throughout the side panels and midsole. All in all, this colorway is a favorite among sneakerheads and fans are already anxiously awaiting their return.
The Air Jordan 1 “Shattered Backboard” has yet to receive an official release date, but they're slated to drop sometime during Fall 2025. The shoes will come with a standard retail tag of $180 and they should be made available on Nike and select Nike retailers. With how popular these have become on the resale market over the last 10 years, we're expecting another sold-out release this time around, so be sure to mark those calendars for next year!
Where does the “Shattered Backboard” rank among your favorite Air Jordan 1's?
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