AJI Color list from 85? Anybody keep the info from the post?

I don't know how many people remember a post a long time ago that Pat and Scones contirbuted in. It had a lot of info on colorways of the AJI from '85. I'm not sure if it was all of them or what, but I'm thinking it was a list of Samples and Metallic colors. Well, did anyone save that list of all the colors? I kind of want/need it now so I was just wondering. Does anybody even REMEMBER that post? I know it was a while back. Probably about a year or so. Thanks for any help yall can provide.

bd
Lisa, I can't imagine anyone to be more likeable than you. But apparently, this new girl is. So my advice would be to start copying her in every way. - Homer
www.shoe-center.com

www.air-jordans.com should be able to help you out w/ the color list. They have pics of most of them (if not every one) including the metallics. Peace.

YS

Young, I know about A-J's.com. I have checked there, but I wanted to see the list to see if there was anything else. I know Pat and Scones listed a ton of info. And it seems like a lot more than what I have checked with on A-J's.com. Thanks anyway, bro.
Lisa, I can't imagine anyone to be more likeable than you. But apparently, this new girl is. So my advice would be to start copying her in every way. - Homer
www.shoe-center.com

Here's the list again (doesn't include Sky Jordan 1 and doesn't include Baby Jordan 1), hope this helps:

"1985 Air Jordan Hi"

A. Models in 1985 Nike Air Jordan Dealer Catalogue:

1) White Red Black
2) Black Red
3) Black Royal
4) Blk Soft Grey
5) White Natural (=Grey)
6) White Blue (White with Blue Trim)
7) White UNC Blue (White with UNC Blue Trim)
8.) White Black (White with Black Trim)
9) White Metallic Navy (YES, this was in the catalogue)


B. Models that were released, but were NOT in the 1985 Nike Air Jordan Dealer Catalogue:

10) White Metallic Green
11) White Metallic Maroon
12) White Metallic Purple
13) White Metallic Orange
14) White Metallic Black *
15) White Metallic Red
16) White Red Black Toe **



C. Models not released to the public / AJ 1 Samples / Prototypes:

17) White Purple Yellow (LA LAKER colors)
18.) Black Patent Gold
19) Black Soft Grey Reverse
20) White NON-Metallic Red
21) White NON-Metallic Orange ***
22) White NON-Metallic Maroon
23) White Blue Reverse ****



.D . Jordan 1 Variations (NOT Variants):

- Black Red with NO Wings logo, just the words 'Air Jordan' on the side *****
- White Red Black with Black bottoms (instead of Red bottoms)




Footnotes to the above:

* Was seen in the 1985 Nike Team Basketball shoes catalogoe.

** Pat and I had differing opinions on this. Initially his stand was that this was unreleased to the public. Later his changed his mind. My stand is that this was released to the public, but in very limited quantities. I have seen these in a variety of sizes, Sz 8, Sz 9, Sz 10.5, Sz 11.5 which leads me to think so that it was indeed released. IN FACT, I have even seen a picture of a pair that was DS, and was sitting on top of a Air Jordan 1 box......)

*** I have only seen the version whereby the 'Air Jordan' on the wings logo is replaced by 'NIKE AIR'. I can't remember if it was Pat (or somebody else) who told me, but it is rumoured that there are a couple pairs out there with the normal 'Air Jordan' Wings logo.

**** Please ask Pat - I have never seen these before, and for reasons of ownership of copyright Pat could not send me a photo of these.

***** As seen in the "Shoes and Accessories" sub-catalogue of the 1985 Air Jordan Dealer Catalogue. It's a photo of Mike with the shoes strung over his neck.


Hope this helps. thanks.

scones

White/Non-Metallic Orange








JR5
[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Starting for Michigan at forward, a 6-9 freshman from Detroit, MI #4 Chris Webber; at forward, a 6-6 freshman from Austin, TX #21 Ray Jackson; at center, a 6-9 freshman from Chicago, IL #25 Juwan Howard; at guard a 6-5 freshman from Plano, TX #24 Jimmy King; and at guard, a 6-8 freshman from Detroit, MI #5 Jalen Rose. They were known as the "Greatest Class Ever Recruited" or simply known as the Fab Five ~ Mitch Albom [/font]

Thanks for this valuable info scones and JR5. Hey JR...what size are those kicks...if that pic wasn't stretched out of porportion...those have to be at least a size 15.
Joe
[table][tr][td]My Email Address: KrispyKicks@aol.com[/td] [td]Click Here for my current eBay auctions.[/td] [/tr][tr][td]My NikeTalk Legit List Number: 0134. [/td] [td]Click Here for the hottest sneakers on the internet.[/td] [/tr][/table]

Scones, JR, THANK YOU!

Answer, I just wrote Pat an E-mail a few days ago. He is doing fine. He finally took a break from his job and is skydiving again! I was very happy to hear from him. He's been really busy with his job and other responsibilities, so that's why he hasn't been on at all.

Just wanted to let yall know. And his site will not be going up anytime soon. Sad to hear, but you have to respect the man no matter what. He put his family and job first. That means a lot. He is still insisting that his collection is not that big haha. But I will tell him over and over it is. The guy is a legend to me lol. Anybody who HASN'T read his FAQ, I would STRONGLY suggest you do. It's like a novel, but you can learn so much from him. Anyway, I got al ittle carried away with the post, but for a good reason!

Thanks again Scones and JR.....Scones, would you mind telling me how many original AJ I's you own? Just wondering. Thanks bro, and everybody stay safe

bd

Lisa, I can't imagine anyone to be more likeable than you. But apparently, this new girl is. So my advice would be to start copying her in every way. - Homer
www.shoe-center.com

I remember orinda had something about Pat's FAQ in his sig.. Can someone give me a link or post this "FAQ" please? I really need to view it.

BTW - What is Pat's screen name?

www.ameritech.net/users/p...ux/faq.htm

Here you go AFIKing. I've read that thing like 3 times now haha

I was going to put it at the bottom of my last post but completely forgot about it.


hth,
bd




Lisa, I can't imagine anyone to be more likeable than you. But apparently, this new girl is. So my advice would be to start copying her in every way. - Homer
www.shoe-center.com

BD, glad to here Pat's back skydiving, he used to talk about it all the time in the chat.

I'm guessing this post is going to be archieved, so i'll put Pat's Air Jordan FAQ in it too.

***NEWBIES PLEASE READ***

Pat's Air Jordan FAQ

I created this page, because I still get a lot of email from people asking questions about Air Jordans. I used to run an AJ website, but I tore it down more than a year ago. And, I used to post frequent messages on BBSs, but I stopped doing that too. It just became so frustrating to deal with all of the nonsense garbage, threats, hate mail, and people who cause trouble, so I stopped dealing with it. But, I still get many questions via email. So, I decided that creating this page was a good way to answer common questions, and perhaps avoid the troublemakers. (If someone doesn't like me, or my information, the answer is simple, just don't visit this page.) Please note: many of these answers may have a disntinct "USA flavor" to them. It's simply because that's where I'm from, and because I get most of my questions from people within the USA. I don't mean to demonstrate a mentality that the USA is the only country on the planet.

Q: What does "deadstock" mean?
A: It originated as a term in the retail sales business to describe discontinued products that are still sitting in stores and have not been sold to a consumer yet. But, it has taken on a slightly different meaning in the shoe-collector circles. Many shoe collectors have different ideas about what "deadstock" means, but my personal definition is that it's never been worn. I still consider it OK to call it deadstock if it has been laced up and tried on in the store. And, I personally even find it OK to call a shoe "deadstock" if it doesn't have all original components, like the box, or cards, or tissues. Why? Sometimes outlet stores discard boxes and other stuff in order to save space, only keeping the shoes, therefore, I'm willing to call them deadstock. Although, if there is any trace of a wrinkle or scuff or any sign that they may have been worn, I do not consider them deadstock. But, I'll add a definition that I would call "perfect deadstock" - which means that they still have the original box, tissues, stuffing material, promo cards, and anything else that originally came with the shoe, and also have never even been on a foot, nor even laced up (although, note that many recent models actually come to the store already laced up).

Q: Are you obsessed with Michael Jordan?
A: Hahaha, no. I won't deny that when he put on his #23 jersey and stepped out onto the court, something happened that transformed him into something beyond the scope of a human being. But, off the court, he is just another person. I respect the level he has achieved in his profession, and that level is not easily duplicated in ANY profession. So, for me, the Air Jordan shoes are kind of like symbols of that level of achievement. Also, I think the shoes are cool and I like to collect them. However, except for one poster, and the shoes, I don't really have any other MJ-collectibles. Theoretically, who knows, I might not even like the guy. If his off-court personality is anything like his on-court personality, where every minute that goes by he feels the need to compete and win, then I'd probably hate being around him. He has said that his drive to win has been the factor that has allowed him to succeed, and that's fine. Being competitive has its place and is a good thing. Although, I personally don't enjoy hanging around with people who feel the need to be better than everyone else at every passing moment. I prefer to hang out with people who are a little more laid back. Is MJ like that in person? I don't know.

Q: Why do you sometimes say "grey" instead of "gray" and other color mis-spellings? Are you from the UK?
A: No, I'm from the USA. But, Nike has chosen to spell the colors as "grey" or "infared" instead of "gray" or "infrared" (for example) so I just follow suit. It's their line of shoes, therefore they can call the colors whatever they want.

Q: What are those codes on the size-tag?
A: Original AJ1s and AJ2s did not have size tags. The original AJ1s had the size, production run, factory information, etc., printed directly onto the inside liner at the ankle. The original AJ2s had the size numbers molded into the sole, and simply had a "Made in Italy" tag on the tongue. But, from the AJ3 forward, including the 1994/95 AJ1 and AJ2 remakes, the format of the tags is fairly standard. I'll use the tag from one of my AJ13s in blue/grey as an example: "Made in Taiwan" is obvious enough. "971012" means it came from the production run between October ("10") and December ("12") of 1997 ("97"). "PC8" is the factory code. (For regular production AJs, I've always seen production run information in a 2-month format, for example "1012" or "0305" etc., even if the actual production ran shorter than 2 months. They seem to have chosen to label all production runs from the beginning month, like "10", and add a 2 month window on the tag, despite how long the run might have actually taken to produce, or such is my assumption.) The size information is fairly straightforward. "136002 441 00" is the product/color code. "136002" means it is an Air Jordan 13th edition hitop. "441" in this particular case is the color code for the blue/grey/white colorway of that shoe. I honestly don't know what the "00" is for. Each factory or "factory group" in China, Korea, and Taiwan has a code. Please note that Air Jordans can come from more than one factory or production run. What I mean by that is.... ALL authentic AJ13 adult size hitop shoes in the blue/grey/white colorway will have "136002 441 00" as the product/color code. However, NOT all of them necessarily came from the same country/factory/production run. It's perfectly legitimate to have identical shoes that come from different countries or factories or production runs. (Although, left and right shoe in a single pair should match each other.) Nowadays, all AJ shoes are ordered before the shoes go on sale. And, stores don't get a 2nd chance to order additional production runs. So, for identical shoes, you shouldn't see production dates more than just a few months apart. But, for earlier model AJs, production was spread out over multiple runs, because store chains were able to order 2nd runs of that model/color AFTER they went on sale (some of the more common models/colors only). So, for earlier model AJs, it's not surprising to see production runs many months apart. Also note that there are some limited edition AJs that you should only see ONE factory, and ONE production run. Note also, about the tag format, special make-up shoes, sales samples, prototypes, player-sample shoes, etc., will not have tags that follow the same exact format as the regular production shoes. Depending on year/model and type of sample, the tags have various formats.

Q: How do you store the shoes you collect so they will stay like new?
A: Well, in many respects, your guess is as good as mine. Some of the shoes have components, midsoles, leather, etc., that gets hard and crunchy, degrading in strength. Others have problems because they change colors over time. Others degrade in other ways, no matter what you try. But, there are several things you can do to try to slow down most forms of degradation. First of all, the biggest shoe-killer is LIGHT. Sunlight is the worst, but room-lighting is bad too. I've seen MANY shoes that were on display, and they ALWAYS show discoloration. True, some models keep their colors better than others. And, I'm sure some sources of light are less harsh than others. But, over time, light will eventually take its toll on every shoe. And, some will discolor due to light VERY quickly (even just 100 hours in the sun can really ruin certain shoes). Some people have suggested using UV-protection glass cases to display the shoes. Well, perhaps ultraviolet light is a problem, perhaps it isn't. It's true that UV light has a shorter wavelength than the visible spectrum, and therefore has a higher energy level. But, remember, while UV light has more energy than the colors in the visible spectrum, visible light still has energy, and can still cause damage. Plus, on the molecular level, some things will react to certain colors more than other colors. (That's why leaves are green, because for their molecular construction in the chlorophyll, green light happens to have the perfect wavelength to excite the electrons in those particular molecular structures, causing electron transfer and energy conversion.) Is it the same for shoes? Maybe not, maybe so, I don't know. But, my point is, I don't trust UV protection as a failsafe method to prevent degradation. I think there are probably many wavelengths of light within the visible spectrum that destroy the shoes. Also, in addition to the problems with exposure to light, moisture will destroy or discolor shoes. I think microscopic fungus or organisms eat away at the midsoles on certain midsoles (like the AJ2 and AJ3 for example), and moisture helps promote the growth of those little buggers. Also, moisture will make the black dye in the AJ11s' patent leather bleed into the white parts. I think that storing your shoes with silica packets (which eat moisture), and replacing the packets every year, seems like a good idea. I'm experimenting with that now. Although, I wouldn't recommend letting the packets physically touch the shoes. I'd say that you should put a packet in each shoe box, but keep the packet in such a way to prevent direct physical contact with your shoes. As for the issue of wrapping the shoes in plastic, well, some leather manufacturers say that people shouldn't wrap leather products in plastic, because they say it traps harmful vapors inside, rather than letting them breathe away. On the other hand, wrapping them in plastic helps prevent moisture from getting at the shoes. So, hmmm, what to recommend... I don't know. Some people say not to wrap individual shoes, but to wrap the whole box instead. Maybe you should tell me what your results are, because I'm still not sure myself. And, it should be noted, that if you get shoes dirty, obviously it's a good idea to clean them if you want to put them in long-term storage. Dirt carries a lot of microorganisms, and you don't want prolonged exposure to that. Bottom line: clean, dark, and dry, seems to be the way to go. I'd also recommend that you do NOT store the shoes with the brown paper that is in the toe of many shoes when you buy them from the store. The brown dye slowly bleeds into the shoe, and can even manifest visible brown stains on the white parts of your shoes. Still, you want something to keep the toe from crushing or collapsing. So, I would recommend that you swap the brown paper, and use white paper instead (though keep the original brown paper for collector value). I'm hoping that white paper works better. Those kinds of precautions should slow the degradation process to a minimum. But, I have no guarantee about any of this. It's just based on my observations over the years, and the things I'm experimenting with. And, sometimes I can't find anything to prevent certain forms of degradation. I know the colors bleed in shoes like the AJ13, with the red suede parts. I have no idea how to stop that from happening. I've kept them clean/dark/dry, but the color still bleeds over time. Also, the AJ2 & AJ3 midsoles and plastic seem to discolor no matter what you do (other than the efforts to slow it down a little). Some of those AJ7s with the suede-like leather, discolor due to the dye they used. It seems that the longer they sit, the more the color bleeds out of the suede-like parts. The clear rubber soles for the AJ5/6/11/etc. seem to discolor over time. But, keeping them clean/dark/dry seems to slow down the color-change to a crawl. Bottom line: if you want to slow down the effect of degradation, you should try to keep the shoes dark, clean, and dry. But, sometimes there's nothing you can do to stop some levels of degradation (or at least not that I'm aware of).

Q: So, you wouldn't recommend keeping my shoes in a display case?
A: Display them if you want to, but don't expect them to last.

Q: Where can I get an AJ9, size 10, black?
A: Sorry, I don't provide any shoe-locating services.

Q: What's the release date of the next Air Jordan?
A: Sorry, I don't provide release date services either.

Q: Is John Doe a legitimate dealer? I'm thinking of buying some shoes from him, and I want to know if you can give a recommendation?
A: Sorry, as much as I hate to see rip-offs over the internet, and as much as I want to help people to prevent from getting ripped off, I just can't get involved with confirming or denying the authenticity of all of the various dealers on the internet. Furthermore, some dealers seem honest for a while, and then they turn dishonest, and visa versa. So, I simply won't take the chance of giving you misleading information, if I don't know the current status of every dealer. I'd love to help, but, I just can't put myself in the middle between internet shoppers and internet dealers. I don't blame you for asking, because it is the prudent thing to do. But, now that I have this page online, I'm more public, and I must dismiss myself as one of the possible people to give advice about certain dealers, positive or negative. Please ask the same questions elsewhere, on BBSs, to other shoe contacts, etc.

Q: I want to buy some fake AJs, can you tell me where/how I can get them?
A: You're talking to the wrong guy... I will NEVER assist anyone in buying fakes.

Q: Is the black/red AJ11 going to be retro'd?
A: Sorry, I'm not going to get into future shoe releases either.

Q: When are you going to bring your website back online, with all of the pictures and information about Air Jordans?
A: I never want to say "never" about anything. So, I won't say never. But, don't count on it. Right now, I don't have any intention of bringing it back online. I took a ton of flak, hate mail, harsh comments, arguments, threats, and a million other problems, from a big chunk of the AJ enthusiast community, and I see no reason to repeat that.

Q: How much of the online BBS AJ scene consists of garbage information?
A: I'll just say this, don't believe everything you read. There's never a shortage of people who pretend to know things, when they actually have NO CLUE. I haven't read enough of the messages on the BBSs in the past year to actually form an opinion about what percentage is garbage, and what percentage is reliable... but, yup, no doubt, there's a whole lot of junk, bogus information. One of the funniest phenomenon that I've seen is the ability for rumors to basically "turn into" fact. Or, at least in certain BBS circles. I've seen people start some crazy rumors about shoes that never existed, and then 4 months later, after the rumors snowball, BAM, everyone basically knows this to be (so-called) "FACT" about them. And, then a shoe that never existed, now phenomenally exists (in the minds of certain people). Of course, this applies to other things as well. There are a million of these so-called "facts" that simply started as rumors and snowballed, and now many people believe it as gospel. To prevent from being one of the overly gullible people, you must pick and choose which sources of information you find to be reliable, and be skeptical about everything you read. And, just because a majority of people believe something to be true, you must use some common sense.

Q: What is a "limited edition" shoe?
A: Well, I'm not including shoes that were made for MJ-only as "limited" shoes, because those were just samples. When I say "limited edition" I am usually referring only to shoes that were released to the public. And, as far as I'm concerned, "limited edition" means that Nike decides to make fewer shoes than are ordered by the store chains. Or, they decide ahead of time to make a certain number of them, and that number is lower than WOULD sell if they took "normal" orders for them. Just because certain models were made in lower production numbers, does not make them "limited" in my book. If they produced as many as were needed to fill the orders from the store chains, then they are not limited. So, as far as I'm concerned, there were only a few Air Jordans here and there that could actually be called "limited" shoes. Off the top of my head, let's see, I think I can come up with a few examples.... I'd guess some of the rare color AJ1s were probably truly limited. I think the AJ7 Olympic was limited (not VERY limited, but I hear it was limited??). I know the team color AJ10s were quite genuinely limited, to quite low numbers. It's possible that many of the remakes/retros are limited (not very sure about that). I know that some of the cards do indicate that they might be limited, so, it seems feasible. Although, I don't have any solid evidence. I figure it might be possible that the remakes/retros were limited... although, they might also simply be produced in lower quantities because stores ordered fewer of them (remember, the AJ1-2-3 remakes were horrible sellers, and perhaps maybe stores "learned their lesson" and decided not to get stuck with so many leftover retros this time around??). I do know the AJ6 Olympic Retro+ was definitely limited (not 100% sure about the exact quantity, but the best sources I can find tell me that it was 3500 pairs). And, there's a 2001 AJ1 retroplus that is limited to 2001 pairs, exclusively released in specific stores in Japan. But, beyond those, were there other "limited" Air Jordans? Well, I don't work for Nike. So, I'm not sure. But, most of the time when I hear that a certain shoe is limited, I don't believe it. I think that term is thrown around too often, to many shoes that were never limited. I think too many people confuse "lower quantities" with "limited" simply because they don't know any better. If there were fewer made of one shoe versus another, I suspect that most of the time, it's probably just because fewer were ORDERED.

Q: Don't you think that AJ shoes would sell better if Nike would limit all of them?
A: I can't believe how often I get asked this question. The only thing I can say, is that people need to go and take some basic economic courses before making such statements like that. Selling "better" is NOT always the same thing as selling "faster." I know that from a single shoe store mentality, it's best to sell your quantity as fast as you can. That's just part of how the retail shoe business works. Store management wants to see the fastest sales they can, and they want to push the sales staff to sell sell sell. But, for the bigger picture, you have to escape the single shoe store mentality. If it was "better" to sell fast, then the answer would be simple, just make only 5,000 pairs of each model, and watch them blow out of the stores instantly. Well, obviously Nike & store chains make more money selling 1,000,000 shoes than they do selling 5,000. So, limiting shoe production seems like an awfully crazy idea to me. Remember, it may be good for an individual store to sell a supply of shoes in 5 mintues, but try to view it from the viewpoint of the folks who actually order the shoes. When they see that a shoe sold out in 5 minutes, they probably just think, "hey, we should have ordered more, because obviously the market demand is higher than we predicted." They want to push individual stores to sell sell sell, but they know they make the maximum profits when they have some shoes left over to sell to those customers who didn't walk through the door in the first 5 minutes (as long as they aren't sitting around SO long, and they have to discount them SO much, that they start losing money on them). Granted, it's nice for business to have a limited shoe now and then, to create the hype and preserve the "special" nature of the shoe. But, to limit all Air Jordan shoes across the board, seems pretty nuts to me.

Q: But, isn't it obvious that Nike is making too many Jordan shoes?
A: I think Nike makes as many Jordan shoes as are ordered by the stores.

Q: But, Air Jordans used to sell out of stores in 5 minutes, now it takes a couple of months. Isn't it obvious that they are making too many? Don't you
think the Air Jordan popularity is dead?
A: I can't believe how often I'm asked this question also. About the only thing I can assume from getting this question so frequently, is that most of the people asking me this question haven't been Air Jordan enthusiasts for very long. Inexperienced people often make crazy ridiculous statements like that. Air Jordans sold out of stores in 5 minutes for a few models here and there, and also during the huge hype year of 1996 when Michael Jordan and the Bulls were the most popular things on the planet. Everything and anything associated with Jordan during that time frame while the Jordan/Bulls pandemonium was at its peak, sold fast and furious. But, in previous years, remember, sales were usually slow and steady (except for the occasional hot shoe here and there). And, even when I say "slow and steady" it is still much faster than the other shoe lines. So, seeing AJs around stores for a while after the release date is just a return to normal as far as I'm concerned. And, remember, Nike makes as many AJs as the stores order (except for the limited-release AJs), so you can't blame Nike alone, if shoes are sitting around in a store a little longer than you are used to. They are just filling orders from the store chains. Plus, I remember seeing some of the AJ9 colors, all of the AJ10 colors, both AJ1 remakes, both AJ2 remakes, both AJ3 remakes, various sizes, all simultaneously available in a single store. That's how long the shoes were sitting around, unsold. I bought a pair of my AJ1 remakes for $19.95 at a local Footlocker, because they had hundreds of pairs that they couldn't sell for over a year. Another example, when I went AJ8 shopping, I saw unsold AJ6s and AJ7s sitting around. And, the same goes for many other models. I only picked a couple of examples, those weren't the only times Jordan shoes were sitting around stores for a while. I'm not going to sit here and list all of the models and how quickly or slowly they sold. But, I can say this, a majority of the Air Jordan shoes indeed did NOT sell in 5 minutes, and most of them sat around in stores for a while. It's true that if shoes sit around in stores for a year, and get marked down to $19.95, it is selling too slowly, and they are losing money on them. But, point being, overall, over the years, in general AJ sales have had their peaks and valleys, had big sales booms some years, and slow sales others, but as a whole they are still fantastic sellers. Just because the temporary instant-selling hype of 1996 has died down slightly, it does not mean that the popularity is dead now. Remember also, back in 1987-1994, generally there were only about 4 or 5 models (colors) per year being offered to the public. But, in year 2000, there were about 40 shoes (or more) with Jordan's name on them, about 20 Air Jordans (with all of the AJ15s and retro 4-5-6-11 shoes), plus all of the Jordan Brand shoes, produced in much greater total quantities than in the earlier years. So, if the popularity is so-called "down" when the market can bear 40+ shoes with Jordan's name on it, I'll take a share of that "down" market any day of the week. I wish I had a business that was so-called "down" like that. Air Jordans as a whole are outselling every other name on the market, and selling in larger quantities than Air Jordans in past years. I just don't see where such comments (about Air Jordan popularity being "dead") are coming from. It makes no sense whatsoever. If you think the #1 selling shoe line in the market is a "dead" line, then I don't know what planet you are from, but it's not Earth.

Q: But, don't you think the Jordan name is thinned out too much?
A: Yes, personally I can't get excited any more over the next Air Jordan release. What used to be a big event, buying a new pair of Air Jordans only about four times per year, has now become a routine for every few weeks. Big deal, a new pair of Air Jordans next week. Throw them in the pile with the rest of them. Personally, I'd like to see about 4-5 colors of the new edition Air Jordan per year, and maybe a couple of remakes. I wouldn't mind a couple of lowtops every 2 or 3 years. And, I could sure stand to see the whole "retro-plus" concept just disappear. I personally cannot hold the "Air Jordan" name as highly as I did before. Now there are about 20+ models/colors of Air Jordans being released in a year. But, what I want personally, and what is Nike's smartest business move, might be two different things.

Q: Was there really a whi/red AJ5 retro with #23 on the side, made for Footlocker managers only?
A: The short answer to this, is that, no, I don't think that shoe genuinely exists. But, since I still get extensive arguments, I'll elaborate.... I know a few people in Footlocker management, including people who have been around for a long time, and even who have progressed to higher levels of management. None of the Footlocker people I have spoken to have heard anything about any special retros made for Footlocker employees. And, let's face it, what kind of crazy thing is that anyway?? A special shoe Nike would make for Footlocker managers? It doesn't make sense. Why would Nike make a shoe like that? I find it highly unlikely that any such special shoe exists. After the crazy rumors were starting to float around, I saw a really bad fake-job for sale on an online auction, claiming it was one of those special Footlocker-only shoes. Uuugh. No way, not that pair anyway. I could tell it had been modified. I'm sure it was just someone who was pretending to have this really rare rumored shoe, and was trying to pull a scam. But, some inexperienced people (not good at spotting fakes) surely believed it to be genuine, so therefore the rumors were fueled. And, then, by coincedence, one of the original 1990 limited MJ-only whi/red/reflective/#23 surfaced on auction. There was a special edition, numbered from 1-100 on a special tag, that really did exist back in 1990. (Also, there was a limited black/23 version, MJ-only, but I don't know the quantity, because they didn't have those same specially numbered tags.) And, of course, some people got confused about those auctions, because they saw one of those special 1990 models, they thought it was one of these mysterious "Footlocker Manager" year-2000 retro shoes. Therefore, the rumors got fueled even more, simply because some people didn't know the difference between the 1990 shoe and the 2000 shoe. As for the rumor itself, and where it started, I suspect it's just one of those things where someone believed something he was told, without any substantial evidence. I'm sure there are people who have 100% faith in this rumor. But, I have never seen any evidence that would convince me that this rumor is actually true. I suspect it was a misunderstanding or something. Or, maybe it was started by a BS'er (I find this to be the most likely cause for most rumors). Or, perhaps someone said something like "maybe it had #23 on the side" and then via the magic of the rumor mill, the "maybe" was dropped, and it magically turned into a fact (so-called). Or, perhaps ONE or TWO people who worked for Footlocker got his/her hands on prototypes, and the crazy rumor spread from there. Or, maybe they simply got their hands on some fakes, and they made up some crazy story to explain why their shoes are supposedly legitimate. (If I had a dollar for every crazy story I've heard from people trying to come up with a way to explain why they might have some special shoe, when in actuality they are just BS'ing, well, I'd be pretty wealthy.) Frankly, I don't know exactly how this rumor started. And, I don't have 100% proof that it isn't true. But, I'll say this, if there was a LEGITIMATE production run of some special retro pairs, beyond just a couple of prototypes, I think I'd know about it by now. I'm sure there'd be some REAL evidence of the shoes, not just some crazy rumors. There would be legitimate product/color codes that can be looked up. There would be legitimate auctions online (not just fakes). My contacts at Footlocker would know about it. SLAM/KICKS magazine would know about it. There would be a lot more evidence out there (which I have NOT seen). Therefore, I am pretty sure it was just a rumor that got out of control. I mean, hell, *NIKE* employees don't get that kind of special treatment, why should Footlocker employees get something that even Nike employees cannot get? And, hey, those Footlocker employees don't earn a fortune in salary. If there were a bunch of them out there who had these special shoes, they'd have surfaced on auctions by now, because they'd want to cash in on the big money they'd get for a shoe that is so limited. AJ shoes made in those low quantities would certainly go for $2000 or more. If they existed, someone would have sold them by now, and I'd have seen them. And, let's face it, there are far TOO MANY rumors like that, which get started by, "my cousin has xyz shoe, and says it's blah blah blah." Or, how about the famous, "Oh, I have these special shoes worth a lot of money, but no, I won't show them to you, nor sell them, nor even produce a picture, and by the way, I don't know the product/color code either." Uuugh. (SOMETIMES that kind of thing can be true, but, most of the time, it's usually just a BS'er trying to act all big, showing off, or whatever. Yet, some people believe it anyway. Sigh. There are a million rumors like that, and very few of them have any merit. So, yeah, if believe every rumor you see, and talk to enough people, pretty soon there will be people believing in ice-cream-Sunday Air Jordans with edible shoe laces, gingerbread lining, a candy #23 on the back, and a cookie outsole.

Q: But, a Footlocker employee told me about things like that. They know what they are talking about, right?
A: I think there are some great Footlocker employees (as well as in other store chains). But, then again, there are some of those employees that I wouldn't trust to tell me what 2+2 equals. And, I've run into my share of Footlocker employees who BS and say they have ultra-rare AJs, or they know about some ultra-rare AJs, or a million other crazy stories. I rarely find any reason to believe one word that comes out of their mouths. If they just said that they got some sales samples, hey, it would be somewhat believable. But, strange crazy special shoes that I've never heard of.... hmmmm.... gotta think that they are just BS'ing, unless they come up with some better evidence than just some silly ramblings.

Q: What about Nike & Niketown employees? They're the experts right?
A: Well, there are some great Nike & Niketown employees too. But, I've gotten some of the WORST bogus information ever, from certain Nike & Niketown employees. To be perfectly blunt, if you believe everything you hear from some of the various people, then you're just being foolish. You need to pick and choose what/who to believe, and what not to believe. And, even sometimes the most reliable sources are just plain mistaken. So, despite the obvious trend that I see on the internet, I must emphasize, QUIT BELIEVING EVERYONE WHO OPENS THEIR MOUTH!! I just don't understand it. EVERYONE knows there are millions of people on Earth who spread crazy information, absolute nonsense, just plain BS'ers. EVERYONE has relatives who do this. EVERYONE has friends who do this. EVERYONE knows employees of every single company on the planet who do this. Do you think that it's any different at Nike or at a shoe store??? Frankly, it's probably WORSE at Nike and at shoe stores!! Just because someone gets a job at Nike, that does NOT mean that magically they turn into reliable people, who all of the sudden decide to stop their life-long habit of spreading nonsense information. Pick and choose what to believe and what not to believe.

Q: But, don't you think that I should believe YOU (Pat) to be 100% correct??
A: NO!!! I think you should believe that I try my best to be accurate, but that I'm human and I can be mistaken from time to time. I think my "record" is much more accurate than most people. And, sure, there are a whole bunch of things that I'm 100% certain about. But, if you ask me 10,000 questions, don't expect a 100% success rating in answering them accurately. I hope to be pretty darn accurate. But, who knows? As for others, well, let's just say that some are just as reliable, or more reliable, as I am. But, there are some people who just plain don't care if they spread misinformation. I try not to be like that. If I say something, I try to express it as opinion if I'm not sure, or as fact if I'm sure. I try to be level-headed. But, even so, I can make mistakes.

Q: What's the story on the Air Jordan 11th lowtop, LE (limited edition)?
A: First of all, the Air Jordan 11 lows were NOT "L.E." They weren't limited. Some vintage dealers who were stuck with too many of them in their stock decided to call them "L.E." (limited edition) because they wanted to sell them for a higher price than they were getting in the market. So, they went around saying that they were limited (when they were not) to try to create hype. And, we all know what happens when one person starts a rumor, eventually it spreads around and just about "becomes" fact (at least as far as the rumor-spreaders are concerned). The funniest comment I ever saw about that example was from one BBS guy who said, "I bet you don't even know what the Air Jordan 11 L.E. is, so shut your mouth, son." (Or something to that effect anyway.) Well, I had to laugh, because that fool was mouthing it up about a shoe, saying it was LE when it wasn't, acting as if he knew what he was talking about, and even criticizing someone else for not knowing about the shoes, when really HE was the one who didn't have the slightest clue. So, yeah, rumors go wild, don't they? And, it doesn't take much to start them. And, for every crazy rumor, there's a crazy reader who will believe it. Also, it didn't help anything that part of the color code for the white/grey version was "I.E." And, written in capital letters, at a glance, people might confuse "I.E." for "L.E." I don't know what the "I.E." represents in the color code, but, indeed Nike has done that before, written cryptic color codes that nobody understands. Note, the black/red lowtop did NOT have "I.E." as part of its color code. It was only part of the white shoe's color code. Nowadays, it's just about considered "fact" (as far as many people are concerned) that those shoes were called "L.E." but in reality, they were never called that.

Q: But what about those all-black AJ11 lowtops we've seen?
A: The all-black lowtops we've seen being sold online and pictured on some websites (with the dark midsole and the funny lace loops) were merely the sales sample model for the standard blk/red version that was released to the public. It's fairly common for a shoe to be changed after they produce sales samples, and before it goes into full production. Also, in addition to the black sales sample, there also was a black lowtop that looked a lot like the ones released to the public (that looked just like the blk/red standard release version, with a white midsole, except it had a black liner instead of a red liner). It was pictured on a poster at Finish Line, which showed all of the upcoming Nike shoes for release in the summer of 1996. It had a release date and everything (which was going to be a little while after the whi/grey release). But, apparently it was cancelled. I wouldn't doubt if there were a couple of legitimate prototype samples floating around over at Nike, but I've never seen one myself (other than that picture).

Q: Now, I'm not really clear about what you mean by "fake" when you have talked about "fake shoes" in the past? Are you saying the PICTURE is fake (like a modified photo)? Or, are you saying the actual shoes are fake?
A: Generally, I'm talking about fake shoes. However, sure, sometimes pictures are modified, and people make fake photos of shoes that never physically existed. Various computer photo-processing programs make it quite easy to make fake pictures of shoes. Some dealers do this when they want to attract attention to themselves. They show (fake) pictures of rare shoes you've never seen before because it makes the dealer appear bigger and better than they really are, like they've been able to get all of this super-rare stuff. Uuugh. And, sometimes fake pictures are created by people who are just interested in how a shoe would look in various color styles. But, no, I'm generally not talking about fake photos, when I talk about fakes. Usually I'm talking about counterfeit shoes.

Q: But, what is a "fake shoe"? Nobody can make a counterfeit SHOE, right? Or, at least they can't make them look very good, right?
A: It's amazing how often people ask me this. Yes, indeed there are thousands upon thousands of pairs of counterfeit shoes. Some are obvious junk, others are quite authentic looking. I find it surprising that some people are perfectly aware that there are counterfeiters making fake Rolex WATCHES, with very complex tiny little mechanisms and details that are illegally copied, down to little details the size of a pinpoint. But, when someone is told that a shoe is counterfeited, they think it's too complex to make fake shoes??? People have no trouble believing that a wristwatch with hundreds of microscopic moving parts is often counterfeit, but they can't believe a shoe can be counterfeit?? Hey, if there's a good market for it, you bet there are fakes, no matter what the product. Learn how to spot them.

Q: What is a "sample" shoe?
A: When Nike is designing an Air Jordan, they draw up the specs, and order a factory to make a couple of "prototype samples" or "look-see samples" of that shoe, in various color patterns. Typically these are made in size 9. And, typically Nike prints up special tags for the shoes, denoting the date they were ordered, color codes, etc. (the tag is not the same format as the regular production tags). Usually you can consider these shoes to look similar to the shoes you'll eventually buy from the store, but they are sometimes far from the final form. This process continues as Nike decides to change this or that on the shoe, getting closer to final form, experimenting with color patterns, etc. After Nike gets closer to the final form of the shoe, and as they decide which color patterns they will sell to the public, they order production of "sales samples" of those colors. I've heard that they make about 500 (??) sales samples of each color. These sales samples are then sold & distributed to the Nike representative sales force. Those reps display those samples to the folks in the store chains who are responsible for deciding how many to order. Sales samples are typically size 9 for adults, plus there is usually a 13-C for kids, and also a sample for a baby size (I can't remember which is the correct baby-size sample). You'll typically only see true sales samples in those 3 sizes. Then, after the reps take all of the orders, sometimes they will sell those sales sample shoes at official sample sales, or give them away to their best customers or friends (which is a perfectly legitimate way for samples to get into "public" hands). And, some samples leak out through channels that Nike doesn't officially approve of. Sometimes the final form of the shoe in production looks exactly like the sales samples. Sometimes there are a few minor changes to trim colors here and there. Other times, there are more significant changes to materials or patterns used. You see, Nike makes sales samples long before the actual production runs are begun, therefore they still might make some changes before beginning production. For some "special" releases, like surprise releases, or limited releases, or a late additional colorway, there are no sales samples produced (or if there are, there are vastly FEWER sales samples produced). This is usually just because it's too late in the cycle to go through the whole "normal" process of distributing to reps, who then go around and take orders from store chains, or because it's already been pre-determined how many Nike will manufacture.

Q: But, what about all of those samples (and variants) we find online, which are not size 9, and which are up for sale? There are a ton of them.
A: Yes, there are a ton of them. I'm sorry I ever started using the term "variant" when referring to some of those shoes. Back a few years, there were a few shoes that I wasn't very sure about. Sure, I had seen a ton of counterfeits before. So, counterfeit shoes didn't surprise me. But, for a particular group of shoes, I just didn't want to label them before I knew for sure if they were fake or not. I just didn't know what else to call them, until I found out more information. So, I started using the term "variant" and it just caught on and is too widely used now. Later, when I started to get more information about them, I realized that they were indeed just counterfeit. So, the "variant" term had gotten applied to some fakes. If I had known that from the beginning, I'd never have started using that "variant" term. Let's face it, China (for example) is not well known for its integrity in protecting USA trademarks, patents, and copyrights. As a matter of fact, China's government, more than any other country's government, is known for looking the other way at counterfeiting USA products, and seemingly almost even ENCOURAGING it to fuel their economy. Socialist societies do not hold the same value systems as are held in capitalist societies. And, if factories got a hold of molds and designs for upcoming shoes, yup, chances are they can just churn out the fakes without any serious consequences from the Chinese government. And, nowadays with a majority of Air Jordans being manufactured in China, with new middle-men and marketing arms over the internet, I think the environment for counterfeiting new Air Jordans is just as tempting for those folks as it was for counterfeiting the older models. So, nowadays I think that term "variant" has spread too much and is quite over-used, and almost sounds like there's something legitimate about them, when actually there's nothing legitimate about them. I wish I never started that term. Note: of course, counterfeiting can happen anywhere, not just in China. I merely use China as the example, because China is the source of most of the counterfeits I've been exposed to.

Q: But what about when a dealer says that it's a "factory second" or a "local exclusive" shoe, or any other shoe available before the release date (or after)?
A: Don't be fooled by counterfeit dealers who play around with catchy terminology. They're always looking for new terms to describe why their fake junk might be authentic. Some say the shoes are "factory seconds" (yeah right). Meanwhile, many of these so-called "factory seconds" don't even have correct tags, or maybe they have the wrong insole, or they aren't the correct color, or whatever else. Uuugh. Yes, legitimate "factory seconds" exist. Though, usually they just have some stitching wrong, or some flaws in the leather, overglue, a crooked logo, or something like that. There's no reason that a genuine factory second should have the WRONG parts, WRONG tags, or WRONG colors, or missing part of the shoe altogether. Wrong parts... means they are fake. Some minor assembly problems, well, ok, maybe they are factory seconds. Although, authentic factory seconds are NOT sold before the official release date. They are often not even found until they get to the stores and the customer complains, and then the store routes the shoes back through the channels to be sold as factory seconds. Legitimate factory seconds are available to the public AFTER the release date, and through official Nike channels (usually outlet stores). Counterfeits are often called "factory seconds" simply because they are looking for a way to make them sound legitimate, and also explain why the quality isn't as good as the real product. Also, they'll sometimes call them all sorts of different names, like "promo samples" or "local-made" or a million other official-sounding terms. But, in reality, they're all fakes. Don't be fooled. Also, some people will try to say that certain colors were Asian exclusive or something like that (yeah right, that has only happened a very few times, very rarely legitimate). But, bottom line, don't be influenced by all of the different terms that people use to try to convince you that the shoes are authentic. Except for genuine "sales samples" I can't think of ANY reason that a shoe should be sold (if genuine) before the release date. By definition, 99.999% of the time, if you're getting a pair before the Nike-authorized release date, then there's something non-legitimate about them (except for the occasional legitimate sales sample). Most of these pre-released shoes, or ones made in various colors that were never released to the public, are just plain FAKE. Don't fall for their fancy terms used to try to make them sound legitimate.

Q: How can I tell if a shoe fake?
A: I could write a whole book on this, and it would still be incomplete. I can't really sit here and type out all of the various signs to look for. There are far too many "tricks" to spotting them, such that I couldn't possibly write them all. But, I'll say this... don't look for any one single magic trick to figure if a shoe is fake. I've heard a whole bunch of garbage about people thinking all fakes use cardboard instead of Air in the soles, or all fakes have the wrong tags, or all fakes have this or that... blah blah blah. Those theories are all garbage as far as I'm concerned. Sure, yes, SOME fakes have those signs. Others do not. There's no one single tell-tale sign to look for. The best thing you can do, for step-one, be AWARE of them. And, be aware that most of the people on the internet who claim to be "experts" at spotting fakes, well, they've probably only seen about one or two fakes in their whole lives. So, don't trust just anybody, because most simply don't know what they're talking about. Find someone with some REAL experience. Beyond that, just go into every purchase skeptically. Know that even highly rated dealers sell fakes. (Just because a dealer is reliable in sending you shoes, does not mean that the dealer isn't selling you counterfeits.) Find out ahead of time all of the details you can about authentic models, and then cross-compare to make sure you have a match. I'm sure there are counterfeits of every single model of Air Jordan. There are whole ranges of various qualities of fakes. Some fakes can be spotted from a mile away, others require you to go over them with a microscope.

Q: Where do fakes/variants come from?
A: Well, I think nowadays most of them come out of China. The counterfeiters in China use internet dealers and other marketing arms to sell their "products" to the public. But, of course, I'm sure that fakes are made in many places, not just China alone. I'm not a person who holds any predudice against any race of people, or anything like that. I'm morally quite opposed to the concept of race-hate or any other such biases. I judge each individual as an individual, and I don't care what country they come from. I just think that the evidence indicates that China is the source of the majority of fakes nowadays (based on my sources and experience). So, if I say some bad things about China, it's not directed at Chinese people as a whole. I merely mean that it is simply my opinion that China is the source of most of the fakes, and the Chinese government tends to look the other way at counterfeiting. Also, most authentic AJs nowadays are made in China, therefore it is easier for counterfeiters to get their hands on materials to duplicate. Some say that the actual factories producing genuine Air Jordans are also producing fakes. I wouldn't doubt this. There's some evidence that it indeed might be the case. But, then again, I wouldn't doubt if it's mainly just little factory "spin-offs" outside the actual factories, and they are claiming to be "real" factories. One thing is certain, often times the people making the fakes indeed CLAIM to be at authentic factories that actually produce the genuine shoes. Perhaps they are being truthful. Then again, perhaps not. I find it difficult to trust the word of a known counterfeiter. Unfortunately, I've never seen any authoritative evidence to confirm or deny the exact factories that are originating the bulk of the fakes on the market. What I *do* doubt, are the bunches of people posting messages on the internet, who have never even been to China, and have no inside information about where the fakes are coming from, yet they make blanket claims to know all about where they are coming from, and how they are made..... Uuugh, yeah right, like some teenager who has nothing to do with Nike and has never seen counterfeits manufactured, can really go around talking about being an expert about how/where they are made??? At least I've got some 2nd hand contacts about who's doing the counterfeiting, so I have some "semi-informed" opinions about it. I'm not just pulling names out of hats, or just believing some crazy rumors on the internet. And, still, even with a lot more knowledge about this stuff than the average person, I'm still quite far from being an expert. (Frankly, I think the only experts are the counterfeiters themselves.) But, sure, you'll find a hundred people all claiming to have a ton of knowledge about fakes, and how they are made, and I bet they don't have the slightest clue. But, no matter what the opinions, no matter what people think, one thing is absolutely certain... there are a ton of fakes out there. And, you can probably find fakes of every single model of AJ out there. Some are quite authentic looking. Others are very poor fakes. But, NONE of them are authorized by Nike.

Q: What's wrong with buying fakes/variants?
A: You mean other reasons, besides just the fact that they are rarely made very well, often don't even have all of the components, and usually don't hold up under stress, and are often fitted together from mismatched pieces of leather and trim, etc? You need more reasons beyond just those? Well, ok. Just think about it. It's not tough to come up with all of the reasons why else you shouldn't buy fakes. It violates patent laws, copyright laws, trademark laws, U.S. Customs laws, just for starters. Any time shoes are produced with that jumpman logo on it, following a patented/copyrighted design, without Nike's permission, without Nike ordering the production of those shoes, it's illegal and they are considered counterfeit. Beyond just the raw legality, just think about it further, and WHY it is illegal. It robs MJ of his fair cut of the shoes. And, it robs Nike and the designers of their cut. Just on principle alone, it's outright disrespectful to the intellectual property holders (Nike and MJ). The United States' greatest "product" has been the ideas and the inventions of its citizens and companies. US innovations and creativity have defined this nation. Call me a capitalist pig if you wish, but I believe in the concept that if an individual or company designs something, that design becomes intellectual property, and it shouldn't be copied by others. To cheat the rightful owners of designs and ideas (of any type, not just shoes), undermines the basic fabric of our society. I think that if people want to believe that all intellectual property is shared by the society, and that people are free to copy from others, yeah, fine, go believe that if you want, and also you should go live in a socialist nation. You don't belong in the USA if you don't respect copyrights/patents/trademarks.

Q: But, wouldn't you just want to show off and impress others with some new Air Jordans before they are released, or some other nice color combinations that Nike isn't making, or some oldies that are too expensive to buy (if they were geniune)? Isn't buying some fakes a good way to impress others?
A: No. I find nothing at all "impressive" about buying some fakes, no matter whether I like the way they look, or not. First of all, the quality is rarely up to the specifications of real production shoes. And, furthermore, anybody who buys fakes for the purpose of impressing others has an ego problem. I prefer to impress others with my character, not my shoes. I enjoy the shoes and the hobby, but, I don't consider shoes as a method to impress others. If you enjoy collecting shoes, fine, great, we share the same hobby. But, if you're doing it as a method to show off, well, sorry, no, I'm not impressed. For me, I'll stick to AUTHENTIC Air Jordan shoes. I don't care WHAT reason, there's never an excuse to knowingly buy fakes. I don't care how badly you want something. Some people say, "Oh, but I want those so bad, I'll buy them whether they are fake or real." Uuugh. Sometimes you just can't have everything you want in life. Buy authentic, or you're a disrespectful cheater. Period.

Q: What about samples made for players?
A: Yes, indeed there are genuine "player samples" and "special makeup" shoes that Nike makes, and they are not rumors nor fakes. (Though, yes, sometimes the counterfeiters make fakes of those samples also.) As for genuine ones, they are obviously made with certain people in mind, in their sizes, etc. If a whole different production is required, different colors entirely, or some other significant differences from the production model, etc., typically this is called a "player sample" shoe. A "special makeup sample" is a shoe that is fairly close to one that is already in production, but it just needs some minor additions or changes for that player. For example, special shoes made just for a player, in colors not made for production, are usually "player sample" shoes. But, shoes that are already in production, but just need a player's number added on the back, or some other minor little change, are usually "special makeup" shoes. "Player samples" have tags that are closely related to other sample tags. But, "special makeup" shoes have tags more closely related to regular production tags, with some changes made to some of the codes to denote that it's a special makeup.

Q: How come back when you had your website online, when I copied your pictures and posted them on my own site, you wrote to my isp about it and they shut down my site? You're such a #@@^%$ (bad name)!!
A: Pictures and text are automatically protected by copyright law. But, on top of that, I even claimed my copyrights. You chose to ignore my request not to copy my information and pictures. I put up my website for certain reasons. And, while some other people might not care if their pictures are stolen, I did care if mine were stolen. And, I know there are others like me who care when their pictures are stolen. And, I will add, a photo or document does NOT have to be registered with the copyright office in order to be considered copyrighted. Copyrights are AUTOMATIC. You cannot go around copying pictures, text, videos, music, or whatever else, and publish that material on your own site, or posting it on a BBS or newsgroup somewhere. You must ASSUME it is copyrighted, unless you know otherwise. I was merely protecting my copyrights, which you violated. Please note that I never sought any $$ penalties, which I would have been entitled to if I did seek them. But, I'm not like that, I just wanted my copyrights honored. I did find it amazing (to some of the people who did this), that you put your own stamps on MY pictures, and pictures you stole from magazines or other websites. Amazing. Are you trying to take credit for other people's work? Do you think that because you went through the effort to go around stealing pictures from magazines and websites, you think you now have the right to claim your own copyrights on them? Fascinating. You steal stuff, and then claim it as your own. Hmmmm. Well, don't blame me for getting your site torn down. The solution is simple, just quit stealing other people's work.

Q: But, since I bought a copy of the magazine, and I pay for my subscription to the internet, doesn't that mean I now own the rights to the materials I find in that magazine or on the internet? I paid for them, I now own them, right, and I can do what I want with them, including distributing copies to others?
A: No. Read the laws. You own your copy, and your copy only. You do NOT own the rights to distribute additional copies.

Q: But, I gave you credit for the pictures I stole from you! Doesn't that make it OK?
A: What do you think this is, a research paper for school? When you write a paper for school, it's for you to read, and your instructor, that's all. And, that makes it legal for a research paper in school. However, when you publish something on the internet, the whole world can read it, view it, and copy it. Therefore, if you steal materials from whatever source, a book, magazine, website, whatever, it's considering re-publishing if you turn around and post that material on a website or BBS or newsgroup. Giving credit means nothing, it does not make it legal. I know some others may not care if you steal their materials as long as you give them credit. It's up to them. But, others DO care about having their materials copied.

Q: But isn't the internet a free-for-all, where everything on it can be copied as much as anybody wants?
A: No. Read the laws. The internet is a forum, not a free-for-all. It may seem like it, because you see so many infringing websites and stuff, with tons of copied materials, etc. Copyright violations on the internet are so rampant, it could easily make you believe that it isn't against the law (but it is). And, sure, by and large because it happens so much, people are not caught. The shoe scene on the internet has been pretty much a free-for-all, because few people try to enforce their rights. But, the internet as a whole, well, in some other circles, people are being caught, and awarded $$ penalties, every day. And, with copyright violations, you don't have to prove a certain dollar value in financial damages in order to get penalties awarded. Penalties are awarded just for the violation itself. And, of course, the bigger the violation, and the more financially damaging, the larger the penalties (much of this is subjective). Anyway, it's only a matter of time before someone gets busted in the shoe scene. Don't be surprised when it happens.

Q: But, you copy shows from TV, which are copyrighted. Why don't you practice what you preach??!!
A: Look up the rules. I'm not turning around and selling, nor re-publishing, anything I tape from TV.

Q: Which Air Jordan 1st edition shoes were released to the public, and which ones weren't?
A: I wish I knew for sure. For some of the colors, it's pretty clear whether or not they were released to the public. For other colors, it's not so obvious. As time goes on, I get more and more information about which shoes were made just as samples, which were regional limited releases in colors that represent a local team, which were made specially for college players only, etc. But, accurate information about some of the rare color AJ1s is hard to find. And, until I find an authoritative source for information, I'm just going on my own experience, and information gathered from people with more experience than I have. But, my best (semi-informed) guess right now is: of the 23 colors of the AJ1 that I'm aware about in final form (and that's just hitops), I'd say 15 were released to the public. Some were only in low production numbers, regional releases, or something like that. And, there's a possibility that the whi/blk/red (reversed pattern) might have been released in very low numbers also. I think it was just a sample color, produced in many sizes for some reason, but I'm not sure. That's the one I'm the least certain about (though there are others I am not certain about also). If that one was released, I guess I'll say it was probably 16 colors released to the public. But, this is just an opinion based on my experience, plus information I've gotten from others. I could easily be wrong.

Q: What's the story on the AJKO? Is it an Air Jordan?
A: That's another one of the AJ1 mysteries. Personally, I do indeed consider it an Air Jordan. It looks just like the AJ1, except for a few minor differences, and the fact that it's made of canvas. I'm not even 100% sure what "AJKO" stands for. The best rumor I can put some level of faith into is "Air Jordan Knock Out" - like the boxing term. But, who knows? Anyway, until I hear otherwise from an authoritative source, yes, the AJKO is an Air Jordan as far as I'm concerned. I know there were about 8 colors of the AJKO. At least two of those colors were released to the public, and very likely more colors were released. But, I'm not sure about each of the colors, and whether they were released, or just samples. I imagine about 5 of them were released, but I'm not sure. I don't have a copy of the dealer catalog from that year. But, even if I did, the dealer catalogs were not always 100% accurate anyway. There were often various differences between what the catalog showed, and what was released.

Q: How about the Air Jordan 1st edition lowtops? How many colors?
A: Well, I know there was a whi/metallic-blue, and a whi/natural-grey. Both were released to the public. But, there's a lingering question about the whi/red lowtop. I've only seen it in pictures, and the more evidence I gather, the more I think that the whi/red lowtop was probably a fake, or at the very best, a prototype sample. But, once again, it's really tough to get information about the AJ1.

Q: Nike has been releasing remakes/retros of many of the older Air Jordans. Can you tell the difference between a retro/remake Air Jordan and its original counterpart (other than the obvious difference in manufacture dates on the tag)?

A: Yes, at least so far, every remake has had enough differences from the originals that I can tell without relying on the tag. Some are closer to the originals than others. But, all have had some differences in the mold of the sole, and some other differences here and there. The AJ1, AJ3, AJ4, AJ5, and AJ6 remakes are all very nice replicas of the originals, with only a few differences here and there. But, if you know what to look for, it's fairly easy to figure out which are remakes and which are original. The AJ2 remakes are not as close to the originals. They are easy to spot from a mile away, because there are plenty of differences from the originals. The AJ11 remakes are pretty darn close to the originals (or at least to the China-made originals). They don't compare very well to most of the Taiwan-made originals (most of the Taiwan originals used a thicker patent leather material, and were overall a more "solid" feeling shoe). But, side by side with a China-made original (and SOME of the Taiwan originals), they are darn close. But, still, if you know what to look for, you can find the details you need to tell the difference. After all, some dishonest sellers do indeed try to just swap tags between a remake and original, and they try to pass of the remake as if it's the more valuable original. It's a good idea to know which is which, to protect yourself, without the need to depend on the tag.

Q: What can I do to prevent myself from being ripped off in a shoe deal over the internet?
A: I could probably sit here and answer in an encyclopedia-sized report on all of the specific things you need to do to protect yourself. But, I won't sit here and write out all of the details on what to look for in each and every model of Air Jordan, and all of the warning signs, etc. I'll just tell you that you really just need to be aware that there's a lot of crime and fraud, and to beware. But, the very first thing you need to know, is that especially in sports-collectibles such as shoes, you should never automatically trust what you read. The sports-collectible industry is so full of corruption, you really must work hard to weed through to the honest sellers. Do your homework first. And, by all means, pleaaaasseeee don't be gullible. Every day of the week, you can go on the internet and find someone trying to run a scam. And, every day of the week, you can find people willing to fall into those scams. It's amazing to me, pleeeaaasseeeee, people, stop falling for the scams these con-artists are pulling off. Quit sending your money off to people every time they come up with a new scam trick. Find out if the claims made by people about certain shoes are even possible, or feasible. Do your research in whatever media you're buying over. Learn the auction forum, read up, etc. Get references. Don't just blindly trust everyone you see. Beware of websites using anonymous or free services. Or, for the direct sale, ask for a ton of evidence, talk on the phone, etc. Use an escrow service and/or COD to pay for the shoes. Ask for pictures from certain angles. If someone says they have the shoes right in front of him, but they say, "I'll get back to you about that" when you ask "can you read the tag to me?" then hang up the phone and forget about it. This applies to the specialty items like game-worn shoes, or just your standard-release model. Obviously, the more rare and well-demanded the item, the higher the risk and the more cautious you must be. But, about game-worn shoes, you must know that there are MANY times more supposedly claimed game-worn Air Jordans than Michael Jordan could ever use in 10 careers' worth of games. Obviously most of them are not genuine. Know that many sellers will say just about anything to get your money, true or false. Make no mistake about it, when shopping over the internet, despite how friendly it may seem, some sellers are no better than the guy you see in downtown New York, holding open his trench coat to show you all of the fake or stolen Rolex watches he's going to sell you. Sometimes even some "highly rated" sellers are nothing but common crooks. And, never base one single successful sale as a reason to trust a seller. Sometimes a seller will do an "honest" deal for the first time with a certain buyer, and then when the seller gains that buyer's trust, slams home for a big rip-off. You must protect yourself through every shoe deal, even if you've dealt with the same seller before. Obviously, not everyone is dishonest, and indeed there are genuine collectibles out there, waiting for you to buy them. But, the internet is not a place to behave as if you're at your best friend's garage sale. You have to be more cautious than that. The internet is a great forum to make connections and find what you want. But, criminals and deadbeats also look at the internet as a wonderful marketplace to prey upon the unsuspecting customer. They can commit fraud, often from another state or even another country, take your money and laugh all the way to the bank as you struggle from 900 miles away trying to figure out how to get your money back. If you see a seller on eBay, selling 99 counterfeit or non-authentic pairs of shoes, but turns around on the 100th pair and says, "oh, but these are real" - what are you supposed to believe? The same goes for the sellers who repeatedly get rumored for selling the wrong shoes, wrong size, or not delivering the shoes you asked for, and then blaming it on "lost mail" for why you didn't get your shoes. Look for warning signs. The more expensive the shoes, the more precautions and insurance you should take on the shipping methods. Pay for insurance. Pay for an escrow service. Get tracking numbers. Keep your guard up. You can find some great deals over the internet, but you can also find yourself ripped off in a heartbeat. And, if you are ripped off, don't be afraid to do something about it. Go to www.fraud.org and get suggestions on what to do. Write to the seller's ISP to tell them what that seller is doing over their service. If the seller is writing from work or school, write to the webmaster/employer/school, and forward emails to let them know what that individual is using their facilities for. A lot of the criminals are using their employer or school's resources to commit their crimes. Don't hesitate to report them. No employer nor school wants their employees or students using their facilities to commit federal crimes. And, beware of the free email services, sometimes people just use those because they know that their employers or schools don't want them using their facilities for crime, so they use the free services instead. Write to the attorney general in that seller's state, to let them know about the crimes, and ask them to start proceedings against the seller. Call the police in that person's town and ask them to take action. If you were ripped off over an auction forum, write to the auctioneer to tell them about the situation. If that person runs a big website business, find out if their business license is up to date (if it's not, they can be hung for tax evasion as well as breaking other laws). Let the sellers know that when they rip you off, they are making a big mistake, because you're going to attack from every angle, and if that doesn't work, you'll take them to court. Make it clear to a criminal that you'll make his life miserable, by writing to his family, his friends, his employer, his school, his isp, his police station, his attorney general, and everybody else you can think of. When someone promises to send you shoes in exchange for money, it's mail-fraud if they don't follow through (because they use a mailing service, or promise to use a mailing service). So, call the USPS and find out how to file a report for mail-fraud. Make it clear to the criminal that there's a lot you can do to take action without spending much money, but, even if you have to spend more money by taking him to court, you'll do it. Don't be an easy target. And, ABOVE ALL ELSE, REMEMBER THE #1 MOST IMPORTANT RULE: IF IT SEEMS TO GOOD TO BE TRUE, IT USUALLY ISN'T TRUE!!!!!!

Q: Is it true that MJ wore a new pair of shoes for each game?
A: I've heard an interview, and read one of his books, where he talks about wearing a new pair every game. I have no reason to doubt this. Although, I do wonder when he started that trend. Was it a new pair every game starting from his very first game in the NBA? I guess maybe I doubt that. I'm guessing it started a little later, like after AJs went into full production maybe? But, what do I know? Maybe yes, maybe no.

Q: When did MJ switch from one model Air Jordan to the next model?
A: He wore the AJ1s for his first two seasons. After that, in general overall, you can basically say that a new model was introduced every year. In earlier years, like from 1985-1993, the schedule didn't seem to be very "fixed" (at least not that I'm aware of). Generally, at the beginning of a new NBA season, he'd wear the previous season's model. Then a couple of months into the season, he'd switch to the next year's model. Later, like from the AJ9 forward, the release of Air Jordans corresponded with the new NBA season. And, when MJ returned to the NBA, generally you can say that MJ wore the new model at the beginning of each NBA season (though there were exceptions here and there). But, for the earlier years, I'm not sure about when exactly he switched from one model to the next, down to the exact month/day. Before MJ's retirement in 1993, I didn't pay as close attention to when MJ wore each shoe. I'd welcome any corrections from authoritative sources on this.

Q: Did Nike ever release more than one pair of AJs on the same lauch date?
A: Yes. AJ12s in white/red and blue/white were released on the same day. And, for non-AJs that year, like the first Jumpman Pro model, they were released on the same day (whi/blue and black/blue on the same day, and then a couple months later blk/red and blk/whi/gold on the same day). Also, there were five AJ10 colors (team colors) all released on the same day. And, in earlier years from AJ3-AJ8 (I think), there were multiple colors released on the same day. For example, I think the black AJ4 and the whi/gray AJ4 were released on the same day, as the first AJ4s to hit the market. Then, later the AJ4s in whi/red and blue/whi were released, as well as additional shipments of the first colors. (I'm fairly sure about this, although, I wasn't paying as much attention back then. Back then, I was collecting, however, I didn't always follow it down to the release day. I just went to the store when I wanted a new pair.) Anyway, that seemed to be the pattern back then, where they'd release a couple of colors at a time. And, back then, I think that Nike would make a few production runs, to re-stock the stores. Nowadays, stores order their quantity ahead of time, and that's all they get. As for AJ1s and AJ2s, well, hmmm, I don't know for sure, because I was waaaayyyyy too broke to even THINK about buying AJs back in those days. But, from what I gather, I think that they maybe didn't even really have lauch dates. It seemed like maybe the stores just sold them when they came in??? And, they may have gotten a whole bunch of colors on the same day?? I would appreciate some authoritative corrections on this info.

Q: What shoes did MJ wear to start his NBA career?
A: He wore some whi/blue Converse shoes for his first NBA games, I don't know the name of them. Soon after the season started, he signed with Nike and started wearing AJ1s.

Q: What's the story on that pair of blk/red AJ1s that was banned by the NBA?
A: I don't know if it was a clever marketing plan, or just a fluke, but, he wore the blk/red AJ1s in a few games, and was fined by the NBA for uniform violations. I think the fine started out low, and then grew, before MJ finally decided to play by the uniform rules. And I think they sold more shoes from that one banned model than they would have if MJ didn't commit the uniform violation. I don't think the shoes themselves were actually "banned" by the NBA. I think the shoes would have been OK if the rest of the team was wearing shoes that were primarily black. I just think that MJ was fined for breaking the uniform code. But, it made a nice advertising angle, to say "banned" about the shoes (even though I don't think technically they were "banned"). I imagine Nike would love to pay the fines for MJ to break the uniform code for every single game of his career. I think the idea of MJ wearing "forbidden" shoes are worth more in sales to Nike than 100 expensive TV commercials could ever sell.

Q: What other colors did he wear in games besides those standard whi/blk/red AJ1s?
A: I know he wore some blk/red ones (the ones I talked about above that he got fined for wearing). He also wore some whi/whi/red ones in some of the games (I'm think during his 2nd season). I think they were the ones with the metallic red swoosh and collar (although they might have just been the non-metallic samples of that color). I don't know about any others that he wore, nor do I know if he wore the AJ1 lowtops. I didn't see many of the games back then, and I don't have many of those early games on tape.

Q: Which pair was Michael Jordan wearing when he broke his foot just a few games into his 2nd NBA season?
A: Those were the AJ1s in whi/blk/red.

Q: What shoes did MJ wear in his first slam-dunk competition?
A: Blk/red AJ1s in his rookie year, but he didn't win that time.

Q: What shoes did MJ wear in the following year's slam-dunk competition?
A: He had a broken foot, and didn't compete in that year's competition.

Q: Why wasn't there a black version of the AJ2? Is that the only AJ where there wasn't a black version?
A: I've seen sample pictures of black AJ2s, who knows if they are real or fake? But, I don't know why there wasn't a black version released to the public. Perhaps it may have something to do with the Italian production, since it was also the only pair made in Italy? Or, maybe it had something to do with the materials used? But, those are just random guesses, and I just don't know for sure. But, yes, it was the only version of Air Jordan (so far) that hasn't had a black version released to the public.

Q: What shoes did MJ wear in the 1987 slam-dunk competition?
A: He wore AJ2s. He won that year.

Q: What shoes did MJ wear in the 1988 slam-dunk competition?
A: He wore AJ3s in whi/grey. He won that year also.

Q: What shoes did MJ wear in the following year's slam-dunk competition?
A: He didn't compete in the slam-dunk competition after winning in 1988. I think it was because of all of the garbage talk from the media. Some people were talking some garbage about how he didn't deserve to win, and how the judges supposedly just handed it to him unjustly, because the competition was in Chicago. Uuugh, with subjective judging, so many people make such strange and insulting speculations?? I'd quit too.

Q: Which shoes was MJ wearing for "the shot" on Eloh in 1989 against Cleveland?
A: Black AJ4s.

Q: Was 1989 the first year for the Bulls' trend in wearing black shoes for the playoffs?
A: Yes, I'm pretty sure the Bulls had not worn black shoes before then (except for the random pair here and there that got banned or the occasional player that broke the rules). I think it was the first time, as a team, that the Bulls wore black shoes. Since then, the tradition has been that they wear black shoes for the playoffs, and white shoes for the regular season. I do know that according to Johnny "Red" Kerr, Brad Sellers is the one who started the Bulls' black-shoe trend in the 1989 playoffs.

Q: What shoe was MJ wearing for his 69 point game against Cleveland?
A: They were the whi/red AJ5s. I have the game on tape, but, I cannot see whether it was one of the special 100-made whi/red/silver AJ5s with #23 on the side, or the standard-release version.

Q: What shoes did MJ wear for the 1990 playoffs?
A: Black AJ5s. I'm pretty sure they all were the special makeup ones with #23 on the side. But, it's possible that some were standard-release black AJ5s without #23. Once again, it's hard to see some of that stuff on tapes and on TV. But, every decent picture I've seen has shown the ones with the #23 on the side (MJ-only special-makeup), so I assume that he wore those #23 special black shoes for every playoff game that year, and I'm assuming that he never wore the standard black version (without #23).

Q: What's with those AJ6s in whi/carmine-red? I've seen ones with #23 on them, are they real? Were they released to the public?
A: Those are MJ-only, and he wore them in some of the 1990-1991 games. (He also wore the standard whi/red, and the standard whi/carmine-red.) The carmines with #23 weren't released to the public. I've seen pictures of ones that are supposedly samples, which sounds feasible to me. But, as for AJ6s with #23 released to the public, nope, there were none.

Q: What shoes did MJ wear when he won his first championship?
A: AJ6s in blk/red (playoffs).

Q: What shoes did MJ wear when he had to cut open
the toe of the shoe, so he could fit his injured and swolen toe into the shoe?
A: I'm pretty sure that was the AJ7 in blk/red, during the 1992 playoffs. I'd have to go through my tapes to be sure.... Correction from NC (thanks) - Black/red AJ6s were the ones that he cut open the toe.

Q: What's with that AJ7 for his 2nd championship? They look more shiny than the released version. Were they patent leather?
A: No, not patent leather. The AJ7s were a strange release overall, not just for the black version. First of all, they had all sorts of tag and color-code inconsistencies that year. Some had product numbers and color codes on the tags, some did not. Secondly, some of the white/silver versions had quite different dyes used and came out almost yellow-ivory looking instead of silver. Third, some of the black versions didn't have the grey suede-like fuzzy feeling leather, and instead had a very black shiny harder leather material (despite the fact that they were the exact same product/color code). The black and grey suede-like version was more common than the shiny black version, but, they were indeed both authentic, and opening a box in the store back in 1992, you may have found either one (just like the variations on the whi/silver vs. whi/ivory). I am not 100% sure (once again because it's tough to tell from tapes) but it looks like MJ wore both the black/grey-like suede-like model in some playoff games, and also the shinier black leather model, in different playoff games.

Q: What's with those All-star blk/grey AJ7s, and the other ones with the multi-color tongues? I've seen some with tongues that look one way, and others with tongues that look a different way. Are they fakes?
A: The AJ7 multi-color tongues seem to be mass-cut out of a big piece of fabric, like seemingly at random or something. Some tongues have more yellow than others. Some will have more blue than others, etc. While it's true that you can probably find fakes of any Air Jordan, the genuine AJ7s did indeed have tongues that were all different from each other.

Q: What shoes did MJ wear for his 3rd championship against the Suns, the last shoes before his retirement?
A: The AJ8 in blk/red (for the playoffs).

Q: Why are there only 3 versions of the AJ8?
A: I can't say for sure. There was the white version that MJ wore for the regular season, the blk/purple version he wore in the All-Star-Game, and the blk/red version for the playoffs. There was no other model of Air Jordans where they only made 3 colors. Perhaps MJ's retirement had something to do with it. Or, maybe it's because the AJ7s carried into the 1992-93 season, and then the AJ9s came along at the beginning of the 1993-94 season. Therefore, maybe it's because the AJ8 ran for less time than any other model?? For whatever the reason, they only produced 3 colors.

Q: Did MJ ever wear the AJ9 in an NBA game?
A: No. He did wear them during some scenes of the movie "SpaceJam," and he also wore them in some practices during the 1993 playoffs, but not during any NBA game.

Q: Did MJ wear the whi/blk/silver version of the AJ10 in any NBA game?
A: No. He wore them in a charity exhibition game at the old stadium, and kissed the Bull's head at center court good bye (that center court is now the floor of MJ's trophy room). But, that wasn't an NBA game as such.

Q: Did MJ really tell Nike to get rid of the extra couple of pieces of leather on the toe of the 1st color AJ10, whi/blk/silver, and then sales went up for the following colors with the clean toe?
A: Yes, there was an interview with Tinker Hatfield (the AJ designer from AJ3-forward), and he did joke around a little bit about how MJ wanted a cleaner toe, and how sales went up. But, keep in mind, it was just a little joke during an interview. I'm sure MJ must have asked for the cleaner toe, or TH wouldn't have made that comment. And, I'm sure MJ's input is taken seriously and it was probably by his request that they modify the toe for future colors. But, I tend to doubt the rumors that MJ made a major ruckus over it. And remember that sales going up could mean anything... given that MJ returned to the NBA wearing the clean-toe AJ10. Maybe MJ's suggestion for a cleaner toe did increase sales, or maybe it was due to other reasons, who knows? But, yes, I've heard that MJ wanted the cleaner toe, and that sales went up.

Q: How many colors of the AJ10 were released to the public?
A: There were 3 general-release colors, and 5 colors that were released in limited quantities. Those five "team" colors were made in the color format for some of the Jordan-Nike-sponsored players, who were wearing AJ10s that year. They were: New York, Chicago, Orlando, Sacramento, Seattle. (Although players like Harold Miner of the Miami Heat wore the whi/red/blk "Chicago" version, because it matched his colors just as well. So, these "city" nicknames really are probably just named as such, kind of after-the-fact by the fans, and maybe not accurately the way Nike intended. But, nowadays, you'll often find people referring to AJ10s in those 5 team colors as those 5 cities.) Some of those players even got special-makeup AJ10s, made just for them, in those team colors, with their own numbers stitched into the side. But, for public release, there were 8 total colors of the AJ10. And, contrary to popular belief, the team colors were NOT limited to being released only in that specific city. They were made available in whatever stores in major cities that could get them. Cities like Chicago, New York, LA, etc., got every color. I think it was up to the store chains to distribute them where they wanted, and they chose the biggest markets. I wouldn't doubt if maybe Orlando only got the Orlando color, because perhaps that's not a big enough market to waste on releasing every color there, so perhaps the store chains just figured they wouldn't bother to send other colors to Orlando??? (Hypothetical example - I don't actually know what Orlando got, or didn't get, I only picked that city as an example to illustrate a point.) There were so few of them made, I think they had to concentrate on marketing them only where they would sell the best. But, who knows? This is just a theory, and I don't know this authoritatively. (On a side note: I bought some of my team-color AJ10s months after the release for 1/2 price, because even limited to such drastically low production quantities, they still weren't selling very well... even after MJ returned to the NBA. Finally in 1996, they blew out (just before I was going back to the store to pick up more... uuugh).

Q: But what about that 9th color, the black version with the red liner and red stripes on the bottom? I've seen many pairs on eBay and elsewhere, what about those?
A: Fake.

Q: What shoes and jersey did Michael Jordan wear for the games in his return to the NBA in 1995?
A: I'm 99% sure of most of the following information (and 100% sure of certain facts among following information because I have most of those games on tape).... For the 17 regular season games (including his 55 point performance against the Knicks) he wore AJ10s in whi/blk/red and a #45 jersey. Some of the whi/blk/red AJ10s were just like the publicly released ones without a number on the side, others had #45 stitched on the side. For the first round of the 1995 playoffs, he wore #45 jersey and AJ10s in blk/shadow They were just like the released colorway, except it had #45 stitched into the side. For the 2nd round of the playoffs against the Magic, in game 1, MJ wore #45 jersey, and an early version of the AJ11 in whi/blk with #45 on the back. In game 2, MJ switched to #23 jersey, and wore the whi/blk #45 AJ11 shoe again. The NBA was fining MJ $5000 per game for wearing shoes that were primarily white, while the rest of his team wore black shoes, for that team uniform violation. And then in an interview after the 2nd or 3rd game, MJ said that he (or his attorney) investigated the NBA rules. And, he acknowledged that according to the NBA rules, there wasn't enough black in those shoes to conform to the black shoes worn by the rest of his team. So he said he wanted to conform to the rules, and would switch back to primarily black shoes for the remainder of the playoffs. Though, MJ never acknowledged the rule for wearing the wrong number jersey, because he said that he (or his attorney) checked the NBA rules, and there was no specific rule that said he couldn't change his jersey number. So, he kept wearing the #23 for the remainder of the playoff games (and the remainder of his career). The NBA continued to fine him (or the Bulls organization) $25,000 per game for the wrong jersey number for the rest of those playoff games. (The NBA said that switching numbers between seasons is ok, but not during a season.) For game 3 against the Magic, MJ wore #23 jersey and black Flights (how long had it been since MJ had worn NON-AJs during an NBA game?). They asked him about it, and why he wasn't wearing black Air Jordans, and he made some comments about how he was wearing Penny's shoes, and I think some comment about how Penny was planning to wear Air Jordans except they didn't fit right or something like that (or such is my recollection). MJ and Penny were going to wear each other's model of shoes for one game, I guess, or such is my impression for whatever that is worth (although Penny apparently didn't follow through). But, bottom line, MJ didn't wear Air Jordans for that game. Maybe he didn't want to wear the AJ10s any more (which he had available in black), and maybe Nike couldn't get black AJ11s to him quickly enough, I don't know. But, the funny part, a local news station had "the big scoop" on the next year's Air Jordans. They were hyping it up all day, about how they are going to show the pictures during the 10pm news revealing the next edition Air Jordan shoes. And, what did they show? They showed the Flights that MJ wore in that game 3 against Orlando. D'oh!!! I watched the news again the next day, looking for a correction. Nope, no correction. You know those news folks, they make mistakes on the news constantly, but do they ever correct their errors? Uuugh. Well, makes you wonder, if they don't correct a shoe mistake, fine, who cares? No big deal. But, how many "important" mistakes to they leave uncorrected? Anyway, for the remaining games until the Magic eliminated the Bulls, MJ wore the SpaceJam AJ11s with #45 on the back, while wearing his #23 jersey (I guess that Nike had already manufactured #45 versions expecting MJ to keep the new number???). Also, I think all of those early AJ11 samples that MJ wore during 1995 had the number stitched onto the back, rather than inked on like the released ones for the next year.

Q: What's the story on the SpaceJams?
A: First of all, let's just clarify that the "SpaceJam" shoe nickname has been assigned to both the black AJ11 shoes worn in the 1995 playoffs by MJ against Orlando, as well as the black AJ11s he wore in the summer of 1995 when filming the "SpaceJam" movie. Or, at least that's what most people have nicknamed the shoes. I have no idea what Nike nicknames the shoes. Maybe they don't call the shoes "Spacejams" at all, or maybe only the ones from the movie, or whatever. I know the shoes weren't identical (playoff vs. movie). But, regardless, both shoes have been commonly nicknamed as "SpaceJams" and right or wrong, I'll follow that for the purpose of this message. Well, in the movie "SpaceJam" MJ wore the blk/blk/whi patent leather AJ11s during that climax game against the Mon-Stars, and nowadays that particular shoe has been dubbed as "The SpaceJams." They had #23 on the back of them in the movie. But, the color of the jumpman, I'm not 100% sure. The color looks to be royal blue. But, if you've ever tried to take pictures of dark concord, you know that on film or TV dark concord often looks like royal blue. I've had to take photos about 10 times of various shoes with dark concord trim, trying to get the light perfect, to make the dark concord show up with the purple tone that it has when you're looking at it in person, only to have 9 wasted pictures that make the purple look like it is royal blue. (Not to mention, how heavily modified were the colors for that movie? That movie was shot against blue-screen and/or green-screen, with all of that animation and special effects.... for all I know, maybe the jumpman was orange (joking), but looked blue on film, who knows???? You can't tell when you're looking at a heavily modified movie like that.) Also, I've seen some pictures of the SpaceJam #45 version worn by MJ during the 1995 playoffs, and some pictures look to be dark concord, others look to be royal blue. The best photos with the best light and best clarity show them as purple (dark concord). Also, I contacted the two people who I know have genuine SpaceJam AJ11s from 1995, and they both said the jumpman was purple (for whatever that is worth to you). I don't know if I should trust that 100% or not, because sometimes people are slightly color-blind for blue vs. purple. But, I basically assumed that the jumpman on the Spacejam shoes is indeed purple (dark concord) and that the photos of them which look more like royal blue, are just that way because of that film phenomenon that can't always capture that particular shade of concord. I guess I figure that I don't really have any better sources for information about them, so I guess I just lean toward believing what I'm told (keeping an open mind to being wrong about it). However, nowadays there's that year-2000 remake of the Spacejam AJ11, which has the royal blue jumpman, and not the dark concord jumpman. So, maybe indeed was the movie version blue, and the 1995 playoff version dark concord? I can't say with 100% certainty. I hate expressing opinions about shoes that I've never actually held in my own hands, and I've never actually held any genuine 1995 SpaceJams. My basic assumption nowadays is that the playoff version (with #45 on the back) had a purple jumpman, and that the movie version (with #23 on the back) had a blue jumpman. But, of course, until I actually hold some authentic models in my own hands, this is just my assumption.

Q: Why did they decide to make the remake SpaceJams with #23 instead of #45? The sales samples had #45 on the back, and then for production, they switched to #23. I heard it was because MJ gets more money if it has #23 on it? I also heard that it's because #23 is trademarked but #45 is not. Is that true?
A: Well, I don't know what Nike's contract is with MJ, but, I tend to doubt that there's any clause in there whatsoever that determines how much MJ is paid based on what number is on the shoes. I'd imagine he gets paid based on some base-salary endorsement contract price, and/or money based on profitability of shoes, quantity sold, etc., something like that, I'd imagine. I simply cannot imagine that it could ever matter what number is on the shoes, but what do I know? And, as for the number being a registered trademark or not, well, you cannot trademark a number, so that answers that question. So, I don't know why they switched to #23. Perhaps it's because the ones with the royal blue jumpman were the movie version, and those had #23?? Who knows? But also, I wouldn't be surprised if it's simply because that #45 SpaceJam AJ11 is the last shoe that MJ wore when he lost. And maybe Nike and Jordan do not want to remake the last shoe MJ ever wore when he lost. But, once again, what do I know?

Q: Which sole is "correct" for the original 1995 Spacejams? The clear sole? Or the blue-tint sole?
A: Well, the two people I know who have original Spacejams (the #45 version worn in the 1995 playoffs, not the movie version), tell me that they have blue-tint soles. Watching the movie, the soles appear to be clear in tone. I have pictures from the 1995 playoffs that appear both ways, blue, or clear. However, I guess that brings me to the bottom line: without seeing them in person, I don't know for sure. I mean, I sure don't trust what I see in the movie. That movie has special-effects, animation, was shot against green-screen or blue-screen, etc., and who knows what color the soles were on the real shoes? On film, after all of that processing, those soles can come out looking far differently from the way they look in real life. Similar things can be said about the processing for magazine pictures from the 1995 playoffs (although to a lesser extent than the movie). Magazines will often process the colors in the film to be more vibrant, less vibrant, etc., who knows? They even "doctor" pictures to spruce them up. I have two identical pictures from magazines, one with MJ wearing black socks in 1995, and one with MJ wearing white socks in 1995. And, it's the SAME IDENTICAL picture, just published about a year or two apart, with these little "doctored" changes. Amazing, huh? I know he wore white socks in 1995 playoffs, but this magazine had doctored the photos to change the color of the socks, for whatever the reason. I certainly don't have 100% faith in the color tones I see in magazines. The pictures are too heavily processed, and, even sometimes intentionally changed. And, of course, one of the biggest factor is the lighting and angles when the photos are taken. I myself have snapped multiple photos of the very same shoe, and merely moved a lamp (light source) about 3 feet to the left, and then the shoe comes out looking VASTLY different in one photo versus another. But, my general assumption, if I had to guess, is that the original 1995 playoff versions had a blue-tone sole, as my contacts have told me. As for whether the movie version had a blue-toned sole, I assume not because it looks clear in the movie. But, wow, there's no way to tell for sure just from just looking at that highly-processed film from the movie. So, I have no solid opinion about
those.

Q: Why do some of the numbers on the back of the AJ11s that MJ wore look different than the numbers on my pairs?
A: Early AJ11s made for MJ during the 1995 playoffs had #45 on the back, not #23. This is true, even in the playoffs after MJ switched back to #23, the shoes still had #45 until the next season started. Also, the numbers for those early shoes were stitched in white thread, and the numbers were written side-by-side, not stacked on top of each other like the numbers of the released version. Then, going into that summer for the Spacejam movie, and early sales samples and player samples, they decided to make the numbers stacked on top of each other (short and fat numbers stacked vertically, instead of the tall and thin side-by-side numbers like on the earliest versions). But, even those early samples still used stitched white thread. Then, for production, they went with ink instead of thread. I'm not sure if MJ wore some of the stitched versions early in the season. I wouldn't doubt it either way. But, I think that most of the ones he wore that season were standard-release AJ11s, right out of the box like a regular customer would buy, with the ink #23.

Q: Why did MJ start wearing black socks with his black Air Jordans in the playoffs starting in 1996, when he wore white socks in previous playoff years?
A: I think it's because that was like a "black armband" tribute to his father. I don't know if the color of socks is included in the NBA uniform code, or not. But, the whole team wore black socks for the 96-97-98 playoffs. Of course, the Bulls won't be in the playoffs again for a while, to find out if they'll continue the trend now that MJ is not with the team any more. But, my understanding for why they wore black socks in the playoffs starting with MJ's return to the NBA, was for the sake of MJ's father. Take it or leave it, that's what I've heard, for whatever that is worth.

Q: What shoes did MJ wear for the 72-win season in 1996?
A: Whi/blk AJ11s, with #23 on the shoes and the jersey (except for the All-Star Game, when he wore the whi/whi/blue AJ11s).

Q: What shoes did MJ wear for the playoffs and championship in 1996?
A: Most of the games, he wore blk/red hitop AJ11s. In a few of the playoff games, he also wore blk/red lowtop AJ11s just like the ones released to the public (not patent leather). But, after he twisted his ankle in the first half of one of the games wearing the blk/red lowtops, he switched back to the blk/red AJ11 hitops. As far as I know, he then stuck to the hitops until the finals against Seattle. Then, for a game or two, or maybe just half a game, not sure, he wore blk/red lowtop AJ11s with patent leather (not a released style). I'm not sure about exactly which game he wore those blk/red patent lowtops, because on tape, once again, it's really tough to see that level of detail. But, I've seen some good photos that appears to show that MJ is wearing them against Seattle, so, I assume he wore them for at least one game. For the championship game, he wore the hightop blk/red AJ11s, because I can see the jumpman on the side (the lowtops didn't have the jumpman on the side).

Q: Didn't MJ wear those lowtop patent leather AJ11 shoes in whi/blk at the Grant Park celebration after the 1996 playoffs?
A: I've checked my tape of that celebration. I don't see those shoes. I think it must have been to some other event that he wore those shoes (I've seen the pictures of him wearing those shoes to some sort of championship ceremony/celebration). But, I don't think it was to the Grant Park celebration that year, because it appears to me on my tapes that he's wearing something else. So, when did he wear them? Sometime. Not sure, I'll keep checking. Might have been Grant Park, but, I don't think so. The problem is, I'm really horrible about labeling tapes, and I'd love to go back and check the tape again to find out if I have just forgotten the facts, but I don't know where it is right now. If/when I dig up that tape to figure it out for sure, I'll update this question.

Q: What's with the whi/blk and whi/red AJ12s? When
did MJ wear one vs. the other?
A: In general, he wore the whi/blk model for home games, and whi/red model for road games (matched uniform best that way). There may have been an exception or two when he switched that up.

Q: What shoes did MJ wear for the 1997 All-Star Game? Were they the whi/blue model that has been dubbed the "all-star shoe" for the AJ12 model?
A: The blue in the whi/blue model is quite dark, so it might look like those All-Star shoes were the whi/blue model (and I too thought that for a while until I was corrected by someone with better pictures, and the post-year championship tape showed some good close-ups). However, indeed it was the blk/whi model that he wore for the All-Star Game. The rumor was that he was going to wear the blue and white model for that game, but he changed that, because sort of "last minute" they decided that the players would wear their own team jerseys for the All-Star Game, rather than a specially made All-Star jersey like they had in previous years. And, the blue/white one wouldn't match his red/whi/black jersey, so he wore the playoff color AJ12 instead. Or, such is the rumor for why he wore them anyway.

Q: What shoes did MJ wear for the playoffs in 1997?
A: He wore blk/red shoes for road games and blk/whi shoes for home games. The game when MJ was very sick, but played anyway was a road game against Utah and he wore blk/red. The championship game was a home game and he wore blk/whi.

Q: What shoes did MJ wear for his final season in the NBA, 1997-1998?
A: He wore whi/blk AJ13s for home games, and whi/red AJ13s for road games. I know there was an exception or two when he switched that up, but for a vast majority of the games, he followed that pattern.

Q: What about the whi/gray/red AJ13s, were they released to the public?
A: No, that was simply the sales sample for the whi/red released version. I heard that MJ was planning on wearing the whi/red/gray version, but the NBA rejected the gray as a 3rd primary color for the shoes. So, they switched the gray to just being a highlight trim color. Anyway, that's what I heard was the reason. But, what do I know?

Q: Did MJ really wear "special" AJ13s that year, different from the ones released to the public?
A: I heard this is true. I have seen some of the shoes that he wore that year, and indeed they have special-makeup codes on the tag. Visually, I didn't see any difference from the released version. But, they talked about the shoes he was wearing in the first few weeks of the year, and how much he was slipping on the floor. Indeed, early in the season, I do remember he took a few spills when he tried to cut really hard. So, the rumor is that MJ wanted them to make some for him with a rubber compound that sticks better. I don't remember him slipping any more, after about a month or so into the season, so maybe the rumors about a special AJ13 are true??? Normally I don't put any faith in crazy rumors like that. But, combine MJ's slipping problem, plus the fact that his game-worn shoes had special-makeup tags, and hmmmm, seems like maybe that rumor might be true???? Who knows?

Q: What about his last game against the Knicks in MSG?
A: He wore AJ1s in whi/blk/red and it was a black jersey game. He made the comment during the post-game interview that he didn't know if it was going to be his last game in MSG, since he didn't know if they'd meet in the playoffs, and he didn't know if he'd play again the next year. But he loved MSG and he wanted to wear something special, and he said he dug those out of his closet. (As it turned out later, they didn't play the Knicks in the playoffs. And indeed MJ said later that he pretty much knew it was his last season, but he didn't say so at the time. So, as it turned out, that was indeed his last game at MSG.) He also commented that he used to wear size 12 during the AJ1 days, so that he didn't fit well into that pair, and that his feet hurt when he wore those shoes that were too small for him 15 years later. But still, he scored 42 and the Bulls won. MJ's first game at MSG during his rookie year, he scored 33 (I think). I think the Bulls lost that first game.

Q: What shoes did MJ wear during the playoffs in 1998?
A: Most of the games, he followed the pattern of wearing hitop blk/red AJ13s for road games, and hitop blk/blk/whi AJ13s for home games. But, he also wore some lowtop AJ13s for some games (often for just 1/2 of a game). These were special color MJ-only sample lowtop AJ13s (not colors that were released to the public). For the games that he wore the lowtop AJ13s, he wore blk/blk/whi for home games, and blk/blk/blk for road games. I'm pretty sure the blk/blk/whi AJ13 lowtops had the mesh-like sides, with leather and suede trim, whereas I think the blk/blk/blk AJ13 lowtops had leather sides (not certain on this), and leather/suede trim. Toward the end of the playoffs, he also started to mix in the AJ14 in blk/red for a couple of games here and there. For his final game in the NBA, to win the championship in Utah, MJ wore the blk/red AJ14.

Q: I hear that blk/red AJ14 that MJ wore against Utah had some patent leather, and wasn't exactly like the ones released to the public the following year, is that true?
A: Well, I thought the same thing for a while, because of the way it appeared on TV and on tape. But, once I got better photos, close-ups, I couldn't find any differences between the ones MJ wore and the ones released to the public, for whatever that's worth to you. I think it was probably just another one of those times when the TV/tape doesn't quite show things the way they really are.

Q: So, how many AJs have been released to the public?
A: As of Dec 31, 2000: ORIGINAL RELEASES.... AJI-high: I think it was about 15?? AJI-low:2. AJKO: I think it was about 5?? AJII-high:2. AJII-low:2. AJIII:4. AJIV:4. AJV:4. AJVI:5. AJVII:5. AJVIII:3. AJIX:4. AJX:8. AJXI-high:3. AJXI-low:2. AJXII:5. AJXIII-high:5. AJXIII-low:2. AJXIV-high:5. AJXIV-low:3. AJXV-high:4. AJXV-low:3. AJXV-moc:3. REMAKES (RETROS).... AJI-high:2. AJII-high:1. AJII-low:1. AJIII:2. AJIV:2. AJV:2. AJVI:1. AJXI:1. RETROPLUSES (COLORS/PATTERNS NOT RELEASED IN ORIGINAL FORM, ONLY IN REMAKE FORM).... AJIV:3. AJV:2. AJVI:2. AJXI:1** (**Spacejam, although, Nike does not call this a retroplus, because it was a color that existed in original form, although not released originally). As for any quantities/colors you know about, more than stated, they're probably just sales samples, prototypes, or fakes. Of course, I know of a ton of other colors, etc., not released, but I cannot sit here and count them all. The only legitimate variation on the above list, for released shoes in a different color, would be the AJ7s. The whi/silver AJ7 model often came out looking like whi/ivory, due to dye variations. And, the black AJ7 model was another strange one. Some were black/grayish fuzzy soft suede-like, others were shiny black harder smooth black leather. And, these were legitimate production shoes, NOT like modern crazy variations (fakes). But, I don't count the whi/ivory as an extra color, because it was the same color code as the whi/light-silver. And, I don't include the shiny black as an extra color, because it was the same color code as the gray-suede. I just include them as legitimate production variations of the same colors.

Q: Can you give me your opinion of ranking the best AJ to the worst AJ?
A: Well, my opinions about them tend to change over time, and even change with my mood. And, I'm an Air Jordan enthusiast, so I end up wearing each and every model from time to time. So, it's hard to say that I "dislike" any of them (although there were a couple of models I don't think were very great, like the AJ11s and AJ12s). And, having a bunch of AJs to choose from, it's hard to rank them (although I do have my favorites like the AJ8 and AJ13). But, overall, if I was forced to rank them, starting with the best model number, ending with the worst model number, I'd say my opinion is: 8-13-6-15-7-1-10-4-3-14-9-2-5-11-12

Q: What's your email address?
A: My email is: rockethead7@yahoo.com -- Corrections to the information above are welcome.

Q: How certain are you about your answers?
A: Well, yeah, I'm pretty certain about things I state as fact. (Of course, if I say something as opinion, then I'm only marginally certain about it.) But, if I found out that I made a mistake somewhere, even about something I thought was fact, I wouldn't be too shocked. If I'm 98% correct, I'm usually happy. Though, I am certainly happier if I'm 100% correct. I've written this whole thing off the top of my head, based on all of the frequently asked questions I've had over the years, and I can only hope that my memory is in-tact without needing to refer to my tapes or shoes. I wouldn't want to be accused of spreading rumors based on bogus information. But, then again, there's a distinct difference between spouting out a bunch of garbage rumors without knowing what you're talking about, and making a mistake about some detail of information. If I've made a mistake it would fall under the latter category.

Q: Why do you type so much (so long) about Air Jordan shoes? Are you just a damned shoe freak, with 100% of your time being dominated by shoes? Get a life!!
A: The fact is, I type really fast. It's actually EASIER for me to type a lot, and make sure my point gets across, than it is for me to go through and edit and trim my writing. You've actually gotten longer messages from me (now and in the past), because I find that EASIER than making shorter ones. I basically type as I think. And, I don't even go back and proof-read what I've written (nor even spell-check most of the time). What you perceive as me spending too much time on shoe issues, by writing longer messages, is in actuality, ironically, my effort to MINIMIZE my time spent on this. I have a job, family, friends, other hobbies, etc., which are all more important than shoes.

Copyright 2001, Pat's Air Jordan Page, all rights reserved.


All Shoes Crease! Size 13 Chrome Dada Cdubbz for sale, contact me at ShoeFreak15@aol.com

heres a rare pic of the AJ1 white/metallic purple that i thought i'd share with ya


aim:ScottGallagher16 314- fa sho!

If someone wants to host some pics for me, E-Mail me at TEGETA@msn.com. I can get 2 pairs of the Metallic Series. Maybe more. Or you can get me on AIM at NTsAF1King. If you E-Mail me, title the E-Mail "AJ1" and include your NT s/n. I prefer AIM.

BTW - Thanks JRose.