Jordan Brand Converts the Air Jordan 40 Into an Air Jordan 23

The 40th birthday of the Air Jordan 1 has gifted us one of the best years in sneakers, not only in the last decade but possibly ever. Re-releases of classic collabs, retros of OG colorways, and a shift in where the brand is heading have defined 2025 for Jordan Brand. On top of that, Michael Jordan’s 40th signature sneaker, the Air Jordan 40, hit shelves, and for the first time in a while, didn’t flop on drop day. The OG rendition sold out quickly and other renditions have also sold well, with the consensus online being that it’s the best mainline Jordan in years. Following up on the Air Jordan 1-inspired Air Jordan 40, Jordan Brand is converting the sneaker into an Air Jordan 23.

Launching alongside another reimagined Air Jordan 40, that being the Air Jordan 4016 which takes cues from the Jordan 16, the Air Jordan 4023 implements design details from MJ’s 23rd signature sneaker. The AJ 23 first hit shelves in 2008 and marked the return of two titans of Nike design to the Jordan line, Tinker Hatfield and Mark Smith, to celebrate the shoe number that coincided with MJ’s jersey number. The upper came stitched with DNA-inspired embroidery, while the outsole features an altered fingerprint from MJ.