How do you sell basketball shoes when the world?s biggest basketball star stops playing basketball? You get creative. The famed air jordan 9 shirts ?City Series? filled the void during an all-around surprising retirement stint, and perhaps paved the way for both player exclusives and Team Jordan.
Appearing more as a tribute than a signature, the air jordan 9 shirts stacked Michael Jordan?s accolades while arguably stacking the deck for Air Jordans without Air Jordan. The simple silo took well to team White, releasing in regional makeups for New York, Orlando, Sacramento, Seattle, Chicago, along with the oft-associated ?Powder Blue/Charlotte? pair. For the first time on the NBA stage, stars other than Michael Jordan were playing in his famous line. Thanks to the ?Powder Blue? colorway, this trend also took well to the college game.
On paper, the lineup of Nick Anderson, Harold Miner, Hubert Davis, Kendall Gill, and Mitch Richmond isn?t too different from the eventual inaugural class of Ray Allen, Derek Anderson, Vin Baker, Eddie Jones, and Michael Finley. Throw in a collegiate Jerry Stackhouse on the then-Nike and now Jordan Brand North Carolina, and the spread of the Jumpman in ?95 isn?t too different from the diverse domain it holds today: top level endorsement on the?professional?and?amateur?level, kept fresh by star power and player exclusives.
images via Black Is/TumblrWill the air jordan 9 shirts ?City Series? see retro release? One can only hope. A ?Chicago? 10 return in 2012 saw the start, but we?re still waiting for the rest. One would think the current Jordan Brand roster would take well to a air jordan festival bag collection. Regardless of re-launch, the original air jordan 9 shirts ?City Series? was revolutionary for regional releases, player exclusives, and keeping the AJ legacy alive in the NBA.
