Air Jordan 10 Release Dates
Originally released in 1994, the Air Jordan 10 was almost not meant to be. With Michael Jordan still pursuing a career in professional baseball, some of the higher-ups at Nike thought the Air Jordan line was finished. It did not stop Tinker Hatfield though, as he continued to design an Air Jordan with the possibility that MJ would play again: the result was the Air Jordan 10.
In 1994 the Air Jordan 10 made its debut. It was the first Air Jordan model designed without Michael Jordan playing professional baseball. Sure, the Air Jordan 9 was the first to drop during his time away from basketball, but it was designed well in advance of his retirement decision. As a result, this was the first Air Jordan model where MJ was hands-off, leading everything up to Tinker Hatfield. Jordan saw the design for the Air Jordan 10 when it was presented to him in a meeting.
At this point, the AJ 10 had already gone into production with the first colorway, the classic “Steel Grey.” When the Air Jordan 10 was originally designed, it featured a top cap overlay, which Jordan did not like. Since it was too late to halt production, Tinker quickly suggested removing the extra layer on the upper for a cleaner look. With Michael in agreement with the change in design, all future Air Jordan 10s released without the infamous toe cap.
To fans' excitement worldwide, on March 18, 1995, Michael Jordan announced his return to the NBA with the infamous “I’m Back” press release. This saw MJ again dominating the game on the hardwood, where he belonged. Since he retired and came back, he chose to wear his baseball number “45” instead of his usual “23.” As a result, special PE pairs of the Air Jordan 10 “Chicago” colorway were designed featuring the number “45” embroidered on the ankle.
The Air Jordan 10 was initially released in eight colorways: Steel Grey, Powder Blue, Shadow, Chicago, New York, Orlando, Sacramento, and Seattle. The AJ 10 was initially not worn on-court by Michael Jordan when he dropped as MJ was playing baseball. He did however get to wear them when he returned to the NBA for the latter part of the 1994-95 NBA season.
