photo credit: musictowakeyou

If you are not aware of the history of the Air Jordan shoe then you may not even know the difference between Air Jordans and the Air Jordan Flights.  Here is a brief rundown of how the Air Jordan shoe became the legendary shoes they are today.  The shoes gained popularity when the first pair were released in 1984 after Michael Jordan signed a 5 year endorsement deal with Nike.  The first pair of Air Jordan’s were black and red which were considered “wild” colors for a basketball shoe back then.  Thus they were banned from the NBA but Michael Jordan wore them on the court anyway, racking up fines for every game but the shoes took off and are now still popular to this day - even after Jordan’s retirement from the NBA.

The first pair were named the Air Jordan I and increase by one each year.  The final pair of Air Jordan shoes will be named XXIII in honor of Michael Jordan’s jersey number 23.  The shoe’s classifications are done by style and year.  The five types include the originals,  the player exclusive, the retro, the retro plus, and the sample.  Every year a previously released shoe is re-released, usually in a different color.

The regular Air Jordan shoes are released for only one day per year in order to keep the value high.  This is why they are so popular and sell so quickly when they are released.  Since they are often hard to get, finding them online or selling in another store means you probably need to buy them quickly if they are available in your size. Nike also has a Team Jordan line that is separate from the Air Jordan line.

The Air Jordan Flight fall under the Team Jordan line and they are available for sale at all times.  That means they are not as rare a pair of shoes as the signature line.  However, it does not make them any less popular.  They feature the jumpman logo and are often less expensive.  The Air Flights are typically used as a more casual pair of Jordans rather than for use as a basketball shoe.  They are generally low-tops and not geared towards use on the basketball court.

Air Jordan Flights are even released in children’s sizes as well.  As you can see, the Flights are no where near as rare as the Air Jordans but they are still a great line of shoes for the casual Jordan fan.  Since they are not as expensive they are more accessible allowing fans to take part in their favorite brand without the hassle of paying for and tracking down a rare pair of Jordans.