To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Air Jordan 11, the famed signature shoe is being released in “Jubilee” and “Adapt” models in December.
The Air Jordan XI saw its popularity begin when Michael Jordan returned with the Chicago Bulls in 1995 after his first retirement. It has been released in several colorways and become a must-have for avid Air Jordan collectors.
The model has additionally been transformed for Jordan Brand athletes in the NFL and MLB. That wasn’t the case this past season for Mookie Betts or his Los Angeles Dodgers teammate Kenley Jansen, both of whom are Jordan athletes (along with David Price), but the National League MVP finalist nonetheless got his hands on the coveted pairs early.
Betts participated in an unboxing video with Bleacher Report Kicks, and while he spoke highly of the “Jubilee” version, is most looking forward to the Air Jordan XI Adapt:
“This right here is different. Like, very, very much different. I’ve put on one pair of Adapts, and it was super, super cool. I never in my life would imagine that you can tighten your shoes with your phone. I think that’s a super neat detail. With it being the first time throwing it (Adapt technology) on an 11, I don’t know how you don’t like it. This shoe right here, you can do anything and everything with. This is going to be heavily in the rotation with the whole (Air Jordan) 1 collection that I have.
“When Tinker (Hatfield) made this shoe 25 years ago, it was supposed to be laceless. His dream came true. It is now laceless. It’s crazy. He was thinking about this shoe 25 years ago. That’s how far in the future he is.”
The forthcoming release represents the first time Nike Adapt power lacing technology has been utilized with an Air Jordan release.
“Where the Air Jordan XI Jubilee celebrates the rich history of the Air Jordan XI, the Adapt iteration takes the silhouette into Jordan Brand’s future,” Jordan Brand vice president and chief design officer Martin Lotti said in a statement.
“By folding in the best of Nike technology, we’ve delivered on Tinker’s original vision of the Air Jordan XI, while simultaneously offering wearers the most personalized Jumpman shoes to date.”
Nike Adapt technology has previously been used on the brand’s performance basketball products along with select Nike sportswear items. The self-lacing shoes are controlled by the wearer through Nike’s Adapt App.
That will feature a Jordan-curated interface where users can customize the Adapt buttons on the shoe’s midsole by personalizing the color scheme and flashing pattern of the buttons’ lights.
Air Jordan 11 Jubilee and Adapt release details
The Air Jordan XI Jubilee releases in full family sizing December 12 on SNKRS, and the Adapt will become available December 30.
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