Had an in depth discussion the other day about which Air Jordans could be considered the GOAT or really which have the strongest arguments to be since at the end of the day there will never be a consensus on just one. It was pretty interesting and since after searching the forums and only seeing "Favorite Air Jordans" threads i figured id post the question. Im sticking to OG colorways and emphasising that this is not a favorites thread or top 5 personal thread so simply saying "Flint 13s are the GOAT because i love them" or something like that doesnt answer the question. The question is which specific sneakers have the strongest arguments to be considered the GOAT. The four we settled on were Bred 1s (banned legend, started everything, seemingly endless impact on Sneaker culture etc), both White (first image of Jumpman, literally flying through the air in the 88 dunk contest etc) and Black (style icon) Cement 3s and Concord 11s (game changer, like nothing you had ever seen before, historic season, overall popularity of the 11). You can make a really strong argument that any of these are the greatest taking everything into account from style, historical significance, pop culture etc. and in picking from these four it just becomes a matter not only of personal preference but also of what you think is most important. I dont think there is any wrong answer in choosing from these four. Some that just missed the cut:
Chicago 1s- strongest argument is that the AJ1 obviously has tremendous significance and impact and since these are the 1s that he actually PLAYED in for the most part its definately up there. But i think it fails when put head to head with the Breds which, even if based on myth and hype, are simply more legendary.
4s white and black- i know these are alot of peoples favs one way or the other but i think its hard to proclaim either GOAT at the end of the day because when matched up against the 3s they lose in terms of history, significance etc. This means that even though you might prefer white cement 4s over white or black 3s, its tough to compete with the image of Mike taking off from the free throw line in white 3s or the groundbreaking nature of black 3s (And the fact that there are just as many people that DO prefer the look of the 3s to 4s). Shot over Ehlo and Buggin Out are not enough IMO to put them over the top in this regard.
5s- ive seen arguments for Grape 5s because of the spin on traditional colorways and also for Metallic blacks so yeah you can make an argument for anything but i dont think these arguments are as strong as the four above.
Infrared black 6s- these def have the look and the significance being the first to have won a title in but that also gets tricky because placing this much importance on the first can be used for any of the other 5 he won a title in if you think that championship was more important. Example, first championship, first threepeat for the 8s, Fathers Day and 72-10 for the Bred 11s, 6 rings for the Last Shot 14s etc. So singling one out gets dicey.
Bred 11s- i think this one was the closest to the four above because of the importance of 72-10, the comeback championship etc, the fact that it was in a Bulls colorway among other things and if people do look at these as the GOATs i really cant fault that opinion. The problem for me is when comparing these to the Concords which were absolute game changers and which he ultimately wore for a year before the Breds and for actually most of the same mentioned legendary season, i have to give the nod to the Concords. Note- i personally love Space Jams and they def have significance in terms of pop culture and sneaker culture with the Retros and everything but when the only game time they have is in a losing series to the Magic its tough to compare to the legendary moments some of these other sneakers have.
Randoms- Royal 1s, Aqua 8s, Bred 13s, Olympic 7s, Flu games, etc- im sure alot of peoples personal favs but tough to proclaim any absolute GOAT IMO.
Thoughts?
Chicago 1s- strongest argument is that the AJ1 obviously has tremendous significance and impact and since these are the 1s that he actually PLAYED in for the most part its definately up there. But i think it fails when put head to head with the Breds which, even if based on myth and hype, are simply more legendary.
4s white and black- i know these are alot of peoples favs one way or the other but i think its hard to proclaim either GOAT at the end of the day because when matched up against the 3s they lose in terms of history, significance etc. This means that even though you might prefer white cement 4s over white or black 3s, its tough to compete with the image of Mike taking off from the free throw line in white 3s or the groundbreaking nature of black 3s (And the fact that there are just as many people that DO prefer the look of the 3s to 4s). Shot over Ehlo and Buggin Out are not enough IMO to put them over the top in this regard.
5s- ive seen arguments for Grape 5s because of the spin on traditional colorways and also for Metallic blacks so yeah you can make an argument for anything but i dont think these arguments are as strong as the four above.
Infrared black 6s- these def have the look and the significance being the first to have won a title in but that also gets tricky because placing this much importance on the first can be used for any of the other 5 he won a title in if you think that championship was more important. Example, first championship, first threepeat for the 8s, Fathers Day and 72-10 for the Bred 11s, 6 rings for the Last Shot 14s etc. So singling one out gets dicey.
Bred 11s- i think this one was the closest to the four above because of the importance of 72-10, the comeback championship etc, the fact that it was in a Bulls colorway among other things and if people do look at these as the GOATs i really cant fault that opinion. The problem for me is when comparing these to the Concords which were absolute game changers and which he ultimately wore for a year before the Breds and for actually most of the same mentioned legendary season, i have to give the nod to the Concords. Note- i personally love Space Jams and they def have significance in terms of pop culture and sneaker culture with the Retros and everything but when the only game time they have is in a losing series to the Magic its tough to compare to the legendary moments some of these other sneakers have.
Randoms- Royal 1s, Aqua 8s, Bred 13s, Olympic 7s, Flu games, etc- im sure alot of peoples personal favs but tough to proclaim any absolute GOAT IMO.
Thoughts?
