The Air Jordan 2, released in November 1986, featured a luxurious design that was never seen before on a basketball shoe. Nike wanted to create a great successor for the Air Jordan 1 and came up with some special characteristics. It was made in Italy featuring genuine Italian leather and faux lizard skin along the upper, which supported the high fashion appearance of the shoe. The prominent “Wings” logo was placed on the tongue. The original colorways were modest but elegant and did not violate the NBA uniform policy. Bruce Kilgore and Peter Moore, the designers of the shoe, created a fashionable shoe that cuts a fine figure on and off the court.
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Regarding its performance on court, the Air Jordan 2 has some stories to tell. The 1985/1986 NBA season was a tough one for Michael Jordan. In the third game of his then second season in professional basketball he was injured with a broken foot. A bitter pill to swallow for the rising star as it was the first serious injury in his basketball career. He missed 64 games and was finally able to return late in the season but could not prevent the Bulls from loosing against Larry Bird and the Celtics in the first round of the playoffs. The Celtics team went on to the Finals and won the championship in remarkable fashion.
Michael Jordan’s Injury
New season, new shoes
Back to full strength after his injury Michael Jordan was ready for a fresh start of the 1986/1987 NBA season. So was his sponsor, furnishing him with a brand new signature shoe in November 1986. Michael played the 1987 All-Star Game and soared high to win his first Slam Dunk Contest in these shoes.
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Via Getty Images/ FIVE Magazine
Via Getty Images/ FIVE Magazine
Air Jordan 2 Commercial
1987 All-Star Game Highlights
1987 Slam Dunk Contest
Retro Releases
In 1994 and 2004, there have been retro releases of the original colorways.
In 2004, an Air Jordan 2 was designed for Melo in a colorway that matched the Nuggets jersey.
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Via Getty Images/ FIVE Magazine
Another notable release is the 2008 Air Jordan 2 Eminem “The Way I Am”, which was produced only 313 times as a tribute to Slim Shady’s hometown Detroit.