What is the best Air Jordan sneaker of all-time? It is a question that has fueled countless debates over the years – from NikeTalk message boards to blog posts, YouTube videos, social media arguments and daily conversations in sneaker shops around the world.
There simply is no objective answer. With 34 signature models (and counting) and various colorways of each model, coming to a consensus on the “best” Jordan is truly impossible.
Over the past month, “The Last Dance” documentary series has celebrated many of Michael Jordan’s defining moments and championship pursuits and will culminate on Sunday with Jordan and the Bulls winning their sixth championship to conclude the 1997-98 season.
For sneaker enthusiasts, the shoes that Jordan had on his feet during each of those key moments cannot be separated from the shot, the move, the dunk or the championship victory.
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- Playoff-record 63 points vs. the Celtics at Boston Garden (April 29, 1986; First Round, Game 2): Air Jordan I, Chicago colorway
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- Free throw line dunk to win the 1988 Slam Dunk Contest vs. Dominique Wilkins (Feb. 6, 1988, Chicago): Air Jordan III, White Cement
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- The Shot over Craig Ehlo at the buzzer to win the series in Cleveland (May 7, 1989, First Round, Game 5): Air Jordan IV, Black Cement
- Double-Nickel game vs. the Knicks in New York in his fifth game back from retirement (March 28, 1995): Air Jordan X, Chicago
The moment and the sneaker are forever intertwined and over the past three decades, Nike and Jordan Brand have brilliantly tied the two together with incredible storytelling through sneakers.
Many of the best stories revolve around Jordan’s six championships with the Bulls – the first three-peat from 1991-1993 and the second three-peat from 1996-1998. Here is a breakdown of each sneaker Jordan wore during his 35 games in the NBA Finals, including his stats and top moments in each pair of kicks.
1991 NBA Finals – Jordan VI, Black/Black Infrared
After falling to the eventual champion Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals for two straight years, Jordan the Bulls finally broke through in 1991 to advance to their first NBA Finals, where they took on the Los Angeles Lakers. After dropping the first game at home, Chicago would go on to win the next four games to close out the series in five games and bring the first NBA title to the city of Chicago.
Throughout the series, Jordan wore the Air Jordan VI in the Black Infrared colorway and he put up incredible numbers en route to winning his first Finals MVP award: 31.2 points, 11.4 assists, 6.6 rebounds, 2.8 steals and 1.4 blocks per game. He shot 55.8% from the field, 50% from three (on only four attempts!) and 84.5% from the free throw line.
LeBron James is the only player since Jordan to average at least 30 points, 10 assists and five rebounds in an NBA Finals – he did so in 2017 and 2018, but his Cavs lost to the Warriors in both series.
Signature Moment: In Game 2 of the series, Jordan executed the acrobatic mid-air hand-switch layup, a highlight accentuated by Marv Albert’s famous call: “Oh! A spec-TAC-ular move, by Michael Jordan!”
Jordan caught the ball at the top of the key, drove the lane and as he elevated, the Lakers’ Sam Perkins took a step toward Jordan to defend the shot. Jordan responded by switching the ball to his left hand and executed the lefty layup off the glass to extend a Bulls run that put the game away in the fourth quarter.
1992 NBA Finals – Air Jordan VII, Black/Dark Charcoal – True Red
After defeating Magic Johnson and the Lakers to win his first title, Clyde Drexler and the Portland Trail Blazers were next on the list for Jordan and the Bulls. Before they became Olympic teammates on the Dream Team, Jordan conquered Drexler in the 1992 NBA Finals as the Bulls took the series in six games to win their second straight championship.
Jordan wore the Air Jordan VII in the Black/Dark Charcoal-True Red colorway for all six games of the series. While Jordan combined scoring (31.2 PPG) and playmaking (11.4 APG) in his first Finals appearance, this time around he upped his scoring to 35.8 points per game to go with 6.5 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game.
Another key difference between Jordan’s first and second Finals was his 3-point shooting. After attempting only four total 3-pointers in five games against the Lakers in 1991, Jordan averaged 4.7 3-point attempts per game against the Blazers and shot the long ball at 43.0% accuracy. It also played a central role in the defining moment from this year’s championship.
Signature Moment: Jordan made 12 out of his 28 3-point attempts in the six-game series against the Blazers with half of those 3-point splashes coming in the opening half of Game 1. Jordan scored an NBA Finals record 35 points in the first half (a record that still stands today) as he drained six 3-pointers (a Finals record that was broken by Ray Allen in 2010) that left everyone baffled – including Jordan himself.
After making his sixth trey, Jordan turned toward the scorer’s table as he jogged back down the court, he shook his head and offered a simple shrug of his shoulders to essentially say, “I don’t believe it either.” Jordan shot just 27 percent from beyond the arc that season, but on June 3, 1992, he could not miss.
1993 NBA Finals – Air Jordan VIII – Black/Black-True Red
Up next on the list of NBA legends that Jordan would prevent from winning a championship was Charles Barkley, who won league MVP honors in 1993 in his first season with the Suns. The Bulls stole the first two games in Phoenix, but the Suns responded by winning Game 3 in triple-overtime back in Chicago. The series would go six games, with John Paxson hitting the championship clinching 3-pointer with 3.9 seconds to play in Game 6 as the Bulls became the first team to win three straight NBA championships since the 1960s Boston Celtics.
Jordan played the entire series in the Black and Red colorway of the Air Jordan VIII and would win Finals MVP honors for the third straight season. Of all the shoes he wore in The Finals, he never scored more points in a single game or over an entire series than he did in the Air Jordan VIII. Jordan averaged 41.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 6.3 assists over the six-game series; his 41.0 scoring average remains the highest mark in a championship series, narrowly edging out Rick Barry (40.8, 1967) and Elgin Baylor (40.6, 1962).
Signature Moment: After the Suns won Game 3 in triple-overtime in Chicago to get back in the series (2-1), Game 4 was pivotal for both teams – could the Suns even the series and steal back home-court advantage, or could the Bulls take a 3-1 advantage with a chance to win the series on their home floor in Game 5?
The heightened sense of urgency brought out the best in both stars as Barkley finished with the triple-double (32 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists) and Jordan putting up one of the greatest scoring performances in Finals history as he finished with 55 points on 21-37 shooting.
Jordan tied Rick Barry (Game 3, 1967 Finals) for the second-highest scoring performance in the history of the NBA Finals; Elgin Baylor holds the record with 61 points in Game 5 of the 1962 Finals. Barry and Baylor would both go on to lose the series, while the Bulls rode Jordan’s scoring magic to their third straight title.
1996 NBA Finals – Air Jordan XI – Black/True Red-White
Jordan came out of retirement near the end of the 1994-95 season, but his return was not enough to lead the Bulls back to The Finals. After falling to the Orlando Magic in the 1995 Eastern Conference semifinals, Jordan and the Bulls would never lose another playoffs series.
The Bulls returned for the 1995-96 season with a vengeance as they won a then-record 72 games during the regular season, swept the Heat in the first round, took out the Knicks in five games in the conference semifinals, then swept the Magic in the conference finals, leading to a confrontation with the Seattle SuperSonics in The Finals.
Chicago jumped out a 3-0 lead over Seattle, but the Sonics refused to be swept as they won Games 4 and 5 at home to force a Game 6 back in Chicago. The Bulls would not squander their third chance to clinch the championship as they defeated the Sonics 87-75 to bring the NBA title back to Chicago.
Jordan played the entire 1996 Finals in the black and red Playoffs colorway of the Air Jordan XI, known for its signature patent leather that would make it a fan favorite with retros that sell out instantly every holiday season. Statistically, Jordan put up his lowest scoring average and shooting percentage in the Air Jordan XI as he averaged 27.3 points and shot 41.5% from the field in the series. Jordan did add 5.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.7 steals per game, as he would win his fourth Finals MVP award.
Signature Moment: Jordan cited the tragic murder of his father in July 1993 as an influence on his decision to retire from the Bulls less than three months later. He took solace in knowing that his father had seen his final basketball game. But 18 months later, Jordan was ready to return to the NBA and a year later helped the Bulls win their fourth championship. And he did so on Father’s Day.
In the locker room following the game, Jordan lay sprawled out on the floor in tears as the emotions poured out. While the photos and video of that moment had been seen for decades, “The Last Dance” footage also included the sound of Jordan’s guttural sobbing that added so much to an already heart-wrenching moment.
1997 NBA Finals – Air Jordan XII
Jordan’s first four trips to The Finals were relatively easy to break down by sneaker as he wore one colorway of one model for the entirety of each series. But in 1997, he decided to switch it up and wore home and away colorways of the Air Jordan XII in Chicago’s six-game series with the Utah Jazz. We’ll break it down to look at Jordan’s numbers in the home (Black/Varsity Red-White-Metallic Silver) and away (Black/Varsity Red) colorways of the Air Jordan XII.
Air Jordan XII – Black/Varsity Red-White-Metallic Silver (Games 1, 2, 6 in Chicago)
Jordan debuted this colorway of the Air Jordan XII during the 1997 All-Star Game as he posted the first triple-double in All-Star Game history with 14 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists in the Eastern Conference’s 132-120 win. He was also part of the halftime ceremony which honored the NBA’s 50 Greatest Players as part of the league’s 50th season celebration.
He brought the colorway back for home games during the 1997 Playoffs and went a perfect 3-0 during the NBA Finals in the home colorway as he averaged 36.0 points, 9.3 rebounds and 7.0 assists.
Signature Moment: With nine seconds to play in Game 1 and the score tied, Karl Malone missed two free throws that could have put Utah ahead. Now it was Jordan’s turn to try to win the game and he did not disappoint. Jordan dribbled out most of the clock before making an escape dribble move to his left to free himself from the defense of Bryon Russell; Jordan rose up for a 20-foot jumper that swished as the buzzer sounded. As the United Center crowd erupted, Jordan calmly pumped his right fist as he gave the Bulls a 1-0 series lead.
Signature Moment (Part 2): With the score tied at 86 with 28 seconds to play in Game 6, the Bulls called time out to set up a potential game-winning and championship-clinching shot. Jordan knew that the Jazz defense would focus all of its attention on him to take the biggest shot of the game, so during the timeout, Jordan told Steve Kerr to be ready for a pass if the Jazz defenders collapsed on Jordan. That is exactly how it played out. As Jordan made his move against Russell, John Stockton left Kerr to help and Jordan found Kerr for the open shot, which he nailed to put the Bulls up for good.
Air Jordan XII – Black/Varsity Red (Games 3, 4, 5 in Utah)
Jordan debuted the Black and Red colorway of the Air Jordan XII for road games during the 1997 NBA Playoffs. During the 1997 Finals, the Bulls lost the first two games with Jordan wearing this colorway (Games 3 and 4) as the Jazz evened the series at 2-2 heading into a pivotal Game 5.
During those first two games in the Black and Red colorway, Jordan averaged 24.0 points per game while shooting just 40.8% from the field, 28.6% (2-7) from 3-point range and took just five free throws in the two games combined.
Signature Moment: With the series tied at 2-2, the stakes were already high for Game 5 as the winner would seize control of the series and be just one win away from the title. Then came the reports that Jordan was ill, suffering from flu-like symptoms with a fever as high as 103 degrees. As Jordan took the court, it was plain to see that he was ailing and lacked energy, but the moment was too important for him not to gut it out.
Jordan and the Bulls got off to a slow start as the Jazz led by 13 after the first quarter with Jordan scoring four points on 2-5 shooting in 11 minutes. He would bounce back in a big way in the second quarter, scoring 17 points on 4-8 shooting from the field and 9-10 from the free throw line while playing the full 12 minutes. The Bulls had cut the Jazz lead to just four points headed into halftime.
However, the third quarter was another slow one for Jordan as he scored just two points on 1-4 shooting in nine minutes. The Bulls were able to keep it tight, with Utah adding just one point to its lead to head into the fourth with a five-point advantage.
Summoning all the strength and energy his body had left, Jordan played the full 12 minutes of the fourth quarter and scored 15 of Chicago’s 23 points, including a 3-pointer with 25 seconds left that put the Bulls up for good. As the final buzzer sounded, Jordan collapsed into Scottie Pippen’s arms as the teammates walked off the court together in an iconic image for what will forever be known as the Flu Game.
Say the words Flu Games to any sneakerhead and they will immediately know you are referring to the Black and Red Air Jordan XII, a shoe that was retro released in 2003, 2009 and 2016. The 2009 version includes the numbers 38 (Jordan’s points in the game) and 97 (the year the game took place) as well as cartoon sick face on the side panel and the tongue of the shoe to commemorate the moment.
1998 NBA Finals – Air Jordan XIII and Air Jordan XIV
Jordan’s footwear in the 1997 Finals followed a familiar pattern that he modeled throughout the regular season – one colorway for home games and another for road games. But what he did in the 1998 Finals broke the mold as he split the six-game series between two different models – the Air Jordan XIII that he wore all season long and the debut of the Air Jordan XIV.
But that’s not all. In two of the three games in which he wore the XIII, he changed shoes at halftime from a player exclusive low top to a standard high top that he wore throughout the rest of the playoffs. We’ll break it all down below, using his total stats for games (including the partial games) played in each Air Jordan XIII colorway.
Air Jordan XIII – Black/True Red (Game 1 full game, Game 2 second half)
For the Air Jordan XIII, we’ll start with the colorway he wore most – the Black and Red Playoff colorway – which was used for all of Game 1 and the second half of Game 2.
Air Jordan XIII – Black Low Player Exclusive (Game 2 first half, Game 5 first half)
Jordan began Games 2 and 5 wearing an all-black low top version of the Air Jordan XIII – one that was never released to the public – before changing to a more familiar version of the XIII at halftime of both games.
Air Jordan XIII – Black/True Red-White (Game 5 second half)
This shoe debuted at the 1998 All-Star Game as Jordan earned his third All-Star MVP award after leading the East to a 135-114 win with 23 points, six rebounds and eight assists. He also wore this colorway for all home playoff games prior to the Finals; the Bulls went 8-1 in those games with Jordan averaging 32.2 points 6.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists.
Air Jordan XIII – Combined Stats (Games 1, 2, 5 – full games)
The best way to break this down is to look at Jordan’s cumulative stats in the three games he wore the Air Jordan XIII (combining all varieties of colorway and cut) and compare that to the three games he wore the Air Jordan XIV (thankfully all the same colorway and cut) in the Finals.
Air Jordan XIV – Black/Black-Varsity Red (Games 3, 4, 6 – full games)
With the 1998 Finals being the true last dance for Jordan and the Bulls, there was no need to wait until the following season to unveil the Air Jordan XIV. Instead, Jordan broke out the Black and Red Air Jordan XIV for three games of the 1998 Finals – Games 3 and 4 in Chicago and Game 6 in Utah.
Jordan was undefeated in the XIVs as the Bulls won Games 3 and 4 to even the series and Game 6 to clinch the championship. Jordan averaged 34.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 2.3 steals in 39.3 minutes per game in the XIVs. He shot 44.7% from the field, 42.9% from three and 78.0% from the free throw line on a whopping 13.7 free throw attempts per game.
Signature Moment: The Black and Red Air Jordan XIV has been nicknamed “The Last Shot” in honor of not only one of the signature moments of Michael Jordan’s career, but an indelible moment in NBA history: Jordan’s game-winning jump shot over Bryon Russell to clinch Chicago’s second three-peat in what would be Jordan’s final shot as a member of the Chicago Bulls.
But this moment is much bigger than the shot itself. The final 30 seconds of his final game as a Bull perfectly encapsulate Jordan’s brilliance on both ends of the court. Before there could be a last shot, there had to be the last steal.
After a Jordan layup with 37 seconds left, the Jazz bring the ball upcourt clinging to a one-point lead. John Stockton dribbles the ball up and looks for Karl Malone in the post on the left block. On Utah’s previous possession, Malone got the ball at that same spot and found Stockton with a cross-court pass for an open 3-pointer.
As Stockton passes the ball to Malone on the left block with Dennis Rodman defending Malone, Jeff Hornacek cuts from the middle of the key out toward the right corner. Jordan doesn’t bother tracking Hornacek and instead immediately doubles Malone from the blind side along the baseline and swipes down at the ball for a perfectly timed steal.
Jordan recovers the loose ball with 20 seconds left and brings the ball up court, as everyone in the building and everyone watching at home knows exactly who is going to put up the potential go-ahead shot. The Bulls spread the floor for Jordan to have an isolation against Bryon Russell. With just under 10 seconds remaining Jordan begins to make his move, dribbling from the left wing toward the middle of the key. As he drives right, he crosses over to his left, giving a slight nudge to Russell, who slides away. Jordan gathers the ball and pulls up from 20 feet for an open jumper as Russell desperately tries to recover and contest. As the ball swishes through the hoop with 5.2 seconds left, Jordan is holding his follow through, offering a perfect final snapshot to every photographer in the building.
