The Nike Air Jordan IX is a sneaker that never received quite the same exposure through the bright lights of the NBA on the feet of Michael Jordan. Granted, it saw the dirt of minor league baseball with cleats attached to its soles, but it is a shoe that essentially got lost in grand scheme of MJ’s elite line due to his first retirement from basketball.
Ironically though, the Air Jordan IX was forever immortalized through Michael’s bronze statue outside of the United Center in Chicago. As designer Tinker Hatfield put it, “When I was asked which shoe should go on the statue in Chicago, I chose the Jordan IX. They showed me a clay model of the pose, and I thought the neatest outsole we had that actually told the story was the IX.”
The design of the IX is actually rather clean and controlled unlike some of its predecessors, which is what Hatfield was going for with an inspiration that came from the simplicity of Japanese culture. It was also the first sneaker to make use of a speed lacing system and if you take a look at the outsole, you will see words in various languages because at the time, Hatfield was really aiming to pay tribute to the fact that Michael was a global superstar athlete. While these kicks may never have felt the glory of winning an NBA championship, they still remain as one of the more practical all-purpose designs in the Air Jordan line.
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