Air Jordan Kids Retro 9

In 1993, the same year Michael Jordan announced that he was stepping away from basketball; Nike released the Air Jordan 9 (IX). It was designed by Tinker Hatfield and represented the globalization of the Air Jordan brand name. The sneaker features words in different languages that represent Jordan’s play, an inner bootie, encapsulated Air Sole unit, “one-pull” lacing system, and a stitched “23” on the back. Nike also released a special cleated version of the Air Jordan 9 that MJ wore during his brief stint in baseball.

Air Jordan(s), also known simply as Jordans, are a brand of shoes and athletic apparel produced by Nike originally designed for and endorsed by former professional NBA basketball player Michael Jordan. The Air Jordan line is now sold by the Jordan Brand subsidiary of Nike. Since its first release in 1985, there have been new designs of the shoe released each year, even after Michael Jordan retired from the NBA.

Collectors classify the Air Jordan line by release year and model: Originals (OG), Retros (shoes that have been recreated for sale to the general public), Retro-pluses (Retro +, Air Jordans that are similar to the Original product, with more up-to-date changes), Player Exclusive (PE, Air Jordans that are exclusive to certain athletes in the realm of sports) and Samples. The Jordan Brand also produces a line of Team shoes, separate from the signature line of Air.