Jordan Tweakin': 10 Notorious Air Jordan Retro Edits

When it comes to Jordan retros, particularly those of the OG variety, sneakerheads will obsess over every little detail once they get them in their hands and feet and social media posts. Is the toe box’s shape correct? Is the shade of red or blue or grey the same as it was in the 1980s? Is the leather of a 2025 retro the same high “quality” as the 2015 retro of the same model even though back then people were complaining about the quality of the 2015 retro? Why is there a Jumpman instead of Nike Air? Whose idea was it to use leather instead of suede?

The answer to all of these is typically business reasons. Sneakerheads might want a retro to look as close to their OGs from the ‘80s and ‘90s, but from the perspective of Jordan Brand, that might not always be the best for them in the long term. That is why you see retros that come out that might look and feel like they did in the past, but there is always one or hangups that keep them from being a one-to-one recreation. Some of that is intentional in order to preserve the integrity of the original. A cynic might look at it as a way to keep sneakerheads at bay as they dangle the carrot of an eventual 100% accurate retro that will never come to pass.

Jordan Brand’s attempt at editing retros has been quite prolific through the years. Sometimes they are to honor an original sketch or concept that might never see the light of day, while others line up close to the edge without fully committing to bringing them back as they were. For this list, we are taking a look back at some of the more notorious examples of Jordan Brand tweaking their fans by almost giving them what they want.

10. Air Jordan 11 Jubilee (2023) - “J-O-R-D-A-N” on the eyelets

In various editorials, Nike has featured prototypes and sample pairs of the Air Jordan 11 prior to its launch in 1995. From drastically different tooling to a bootie-like construction, there are so many ways the Air Jordan 11 could have been dead on arrival had it not been for the critical eye of Tinker Hatfield, Michael Jordan, and everybody else who was part of the design process. One feature that was found in these samples was MJ’s last name spelled out in the eyelets. While that little detail did not make the final cut, Jordan Brand has tried to bring it back through the years. Samples of the 2006 Air Jordan 11 Defining Moments featured the lettering on the eyelets, indicating there was interest in getting them to retail. The actual DMP 11 that was part of the pack scrapped the lettering, but a handful of sample pairs have made their way to collectors, and reportedly, some lucky sneakerheads even managed to buy them at Nike outlet stores. In 2020, Jordan Brand would finally add the lettering as part of the Air Jordan 11 Jubilee for the sneaker’s 25th anniversary. Unfortunately, the reception to the lettering was less than welcoming. For those who know the history of the Air Jordan 11, this is a cool piece of sneaker lore. That’s not most people, however, and the reaction to the lettering was mixed. Some even going out of their way to remove them with nail polish, resulting in a cleaner, more refined product.

9. Air Jordan 5 Tokyo 23 (2025) - Yellow Toe Wrap

The past few years have been an interesting time to be a sneaker hoarder. For decades, they have hustled their way to acquiring grails that few people will ever get a chance to own. For them, it's the thrill of the hunt and the bragging rights that goes along with owning a player exclusive or a sample or limited drop that will never get a retro. But as part of Jordan Brand’s attempt to revive their struggling retro lines, they have brought back sneakers that nobody ever believed would ever return like the Wu-Tang Dunks or the Galaxy Foamposites. A Jordan retro that fits the bill is the formerly Japan-exclusive Air Jordan 5 Tokyo 23. Reviews of the 2025 retro have been favorable and for the most part, compares favorably to the original. However, there is one glaring cosmetic change that Jordan Brand made: the 2025 retro has a yellow toe wrap instead of solid black. It’s the easiest tell between the pairs and and one can only imagine it’s a way to appease those who have the 2011 original. It’s a controversial choice that will only become more contentious as Jordan Brand decides to bring back more grails with slight modifications.

8. Air Jordan 7 J2K Obsidian and Filbert (2012) - Divisive Design

As part of Nike’s early commitments to sustainability, they introduced the environmentally conscious Trash Talk sneaker line in 2008. With an assist from two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash, Trash Talk sneakers featured recycled materials and scraps found on Nike factory floors. The triangle patchwork design on the shoes gave them a distinct look from other Nike products at the time. A few years later, the 2012 Air Jordan J2K Pack would use the same design processes as other products in the considered line, including the triangular patchwork detailing on the upper. The J2K Pack consisted of a black and red Air Jordan 1 (following up a 2010 multicolor pair that is both obscure and highly sought after) and two colorways of the Air Jordan 7. Since the pack was released during the boom period for Jordan retro, the sneakers sold out immediately and command a premium price at resale to this day. At the same time, more and more people have started to become more confident in declaring the two-pack Air Jordan 7s as some of the worst Js ever made. Whether that’s because of the quality or just the supposedly hideous nature of the sneakers is not clear, but the tide has turned.

7. Air Jordan 1 Reimagined Black Toe (2025) - Logo Swap

For a sneaker community that claims to be all about respecting history and holding it up to a pedestal that borders on pandering, they sure had a funny way of showing it when the Air Jordan 1 Black Toe returned this year in Reimagined form. Just like most of the sneakers in the Reimagined series, there does not appear to be too many complaints about the quality of the sneakers themselves. The sticking point appears to be the use of a prototype Air Jordan logo, which is just the words “Air Jordan” in Italics. That little change, which is meant to represent an early version of the Air Jordan 1 that never made it to stores but was part of some legendary advertisements, was the tipping point for a lot of sneakerheads. A small violin for the resellers who thought they were going to cash out with this release, but a lot of eye rolling over here the next time the extremely vocal, extremely online part of the sneaker community claims they want OGs to come back like they did in the 80s.

6. The Jordan Lab Series (2013-2015): Frankenstein’s Air Jordans

In retrospect, Jordan Brand’s Lab series felt like a last hurrah before they had to get their act together. After years of complaints about the diminishing quality of high-profile retro releases, one of the brand’s more controversial efforts to inject some new energy into the space was the Lab series where they took a signature feature of a Jordan model and grafted it onto another. For example, the Air Jordan 3Lab5 draped the Air Jordan 3’s classic elephant print all over the Air Jordan 5’s upper, while the Air Jordan 11Lab4 dipped the Air Jordan 4 in a vat of shiny patent leather, and the Air Jordan 5Lab3 turned into the perfect shoe for cyclists to wear at night because of its reflective properties. In a vacuum, these Frankenstein'd Jordans are interesting thought experiments that sometimes hits or sometimes misses, but against the backdrop of a revolting fanbase that was demanding more of their retros, it felt like a brand that could not see the forest for the trees. By 2015, Jordan Brand would introduce their remastered series of retros in an attempt to correct the problem, which also coincided with the last Lab Jordans.

5. Air Jordan 4 Reimagined Bred (2024) - Suede To Leather

When the Air Jordan 4 Reimagined first started to make their way through the internets, it was interesting to see the reaction from the community. With a dramatic shift from suede to leather, you would think Jordan Brand punched everybody’s mother based on how some people were posting their discontent. Discounting the fact that black leather has been used on other Air Jordan 4s in the past, seeing it on the iconic Playoff colorway was disorienting for a lot of people. A lot of those worries and fears were alleviated when the shoes were actually released as it became obvious that the Bred 4s are iconic no matter what material is being used for the upper. If the Air Jordan 11Lab4 dared to drop a Bred pair with black patent leather, it would still be a hit. It would be a divisive hit, but it would still be a hit nonetheless.

4. Air Jordan 1 Shattered Backboard (2015) - Faux Vintage Midsoles

Besides introducing a new color blocking style for the Air Jordan 1 that is still being used to this day, the other legacy of the Shattered Backboards is the introduction of the off-white sail midsole. For the sneakerhead that wants that vintage appeal without going through the work of owning a pair of 1s for over a decade to achieve that look, a sneaker like the Shattered Backboards got you there in no time. Sensing a trend, Jordan Brand would apply all sorts of vintage and vintage-adjacent looks onto their retros. Call it sail, muslin, cream or any other slightly yellowed hue, the days of the sharp and clean white midsole being the norm is over for the time being. There have been instances where the use of the pre-aged midsole has not gone over such as the Air Jordan 3 White Cement Reimagined, but those have been outliers. The pendulum of sneaker latest dictates that Jordan Brand eventually will take it too far and release, say, pre-yellowed Air Jordan 11 translucent outsoles, but it’s looking that day will be coming later rather than sooner.

3. Air Jordan 6 Infrared - What Is The True Infrared?

In 2010, Jordan Brand released an Air Jordan 6 Infrared Pack that brought together two of the most historically significant Js in Michael Jordan’s career as the white pair was one of his go-to’s during the regular season and the black was on his feet when he won his first NBA championship. Not surprisingly, it was a huge success and reaffirmed the Air Jordan 6’s place among the best in the series. But for reasons unexplained, Jordan Brand decided to tinker with that success. In 2010, Jordan Brand also released similarly looking Air Jordan 6s in black and white with a different hue of red that was called Varsity Red. And nothing was ever the same.

Over time, the Infrared name would take precedence over the Varsity Red. Only sneakerheads who were outside during that era even acknowledge that there is a Varsity Red Air Jordan 6 that is different from the true Infrared Air Jordan 6. Adding to the confusion, in 2014, would release another Infrared-adjacent Air Jordan 6 and dubbed that shade of red “Infrared 23.” A 2019 release would bring back the true Infrared like it was 1991 all over again, but by that point there was no turning back. Despite the differences, to the general public, they are all Infrared 6s.

2. Air Jordan 11 - Patent Leather Cut

During the 2000s, Jordan Brand made an interesting design decision with the Air Jordan 11: they would thin out the patent leather mudguard. In comparison to the OG pairs from the 1995 and 1996, the cut on the retros from the 2000s and early 2010s were significantly shorter. But unless you were a frequent visitor of the Jordan BrandTalk Forums or subscribed to Sole Collector Magazine, you probably didn’t notice. There were no blogs and social media aggregators to remind people on a daily basis that these Air Jordan 11s were significantly different from the originals. This led to an entire generation of sneakerheads raising collective eyebrows when Jordan Brand reintroduced the higher cut for the 2016 retro of the Air Jordan 11 Space Jam. Because they had been conditioned to see the Air Jordan 11 a certain, now the patent leather cut was too high. Over time, the higher cut won out as it has been the standard for the past several years, but don’t be shocked if you meet someone in their mid-20s who says has nostalgia for the 2011 Air Jordan 11 Concord retro because that’s how the patent leather should look.

1. The Nike Air/Jumpman Swap

As we move further and further away from Michael Jordan’s playing career and kids today don’t really associate Jordan Brand products with the man himself, it bears repeating that Jordan Brand is a subsidiary of Nike. Just like Converse, Jordan Brand have their own distinct identity separate from Nike and operate like they are in competition with the swoosh. They have different marketing and design teams and if you hear Carmelo Anthony tell it, MJ doesn’t even like it when his athletes attend Nike events. So when it comes time to report Nike financials, you will hear the swoosh’s total performance with a separate tab dedicated to Jordan Brand. Which brings us back to the decision by Jordan Brand to take out Nike Air branding in favor of the Jumpman.

In 2001, Jordan Brand brought back both the Air Jordan 3 Black Cement and the Air Jordan 3 True Blue. While the Black Cement had Nike Air on the heel tab, the True Blue became the first pair to swap them out for the Jumpman. Because the Black Cement had Jordan Brand Air branding, that meant revenue from sales of the sneaker was counted to Nike, while the True Blue with the Jumpman was credited to Jordan Brand. For virtually all of the 2000s, both OG and new colorways of Jordan retros had Jumpman branding instead of Nike Air, which meant more money for Jordan Brand.

The practice would continue until 2013 when the Air Jordan 3 Retro ‘88 was released and it featured Nike Air branding for the first time in over a decade. The Retro ‘88 was essentially a test balloon for Nike and Jordan Brand to see if there was not only a demand for Nike Air branding on OG Jordan retros, but if people were willing to pay a premium for it. Since then, new colorways of Jordan retros will often come with the Jumpman branding while OG colorways and particular one-offs or collabs will feature Nike Air.

Juan Martinez

From video game journalism to veteran of the sneaker blog era to podcasting about well, everything, Juan is smiling through it all and can't believe this is his life. After recently getting into Formula 1, he now has hot takes about who the greatest driver of all time is. Email: juan@soleretriever.com