Within the original 14 Air Jordan family, the Air Jordan 9 sticks out as a sort of black sheep. Michael Jordan retired from the NBA and was finding out the realities of playing professional baseball when Nike launched the AJ 9, though its history and lore run just as deep, if not deeper, than most Jordan models. Back in 2002, the year the Air Jordan 9 experienced its first retro run, Jordan Brand launched the then-all-new Flint Grey, AKA the French Blue colorway, but it has not returned since. Thankfully, 2026 will mark the first re-release of the fan favorite AJ 9.
Done in a tri-tone color palette consisting of white, Flint Grey, and French Blue, the upper of this Air Jordan 9 is mostly rendered in white. This shade takes over the quilted leather midfoot panel, the mesh tongue, and the leather toebox, while the mudguard, heel, and collar overlay are done in a flint grey suede. Tonal flint grey laces run up the tongue through French Blue plastic eyelets, resting just below a hit of French Blue mesh and an Air Jordan tag.
