SOLE COLLECTOR: Sneakers

SPACE

SPACE
Key Tech: Large volume Air-Sole unit (heel), encapsulated Air-Sole unit (forefoot), Dynamic-Fit inner bootie construction, “one-pull” lacing system

Use: Hoops, Indoor

Position: All

Colorway Tested: White/Black/True Red

Price: $125

Pros: Dynamic-Fit inner bootie delivers excellent comfort; feels very stable; combination of Air-Sole units encased within the fore and rearfoot and the IX’s dense, polyurethane midsole provide very good impact protection that will hold up very well over time; very good traction (so long as the outsole is kept clean); very good ankle support

Cons: Midsole starts out feeling very hard; allows too much side-to-side movement within the inner at the forefoot

SPACE

PACE

THE JORDAN THAT WASN’T

TO ANSWER MY OWN QUESTION, YES. When it was originally released in 1993, the Air Jordan IX bore the two hallmarks of every classic Air Jordan shoe: cutting edge design (it was modeled after European dress shoes long before this became a fashionable thing to do in the sneaker space) and leading edge technology. So, though MJ might not have worn the IX in O.G. form for an NBA game (though he would eventually go on to wear the IX in Retro form during his third, and final comeback), it is still every inch an Air Jordan shoe.

And more than just any Air Jordan, the IX also, in my opinion at least, marks an important turning point in the evolution of the Air Jordan line. Starting with the Air Jordan III, the first Jordan designed by Tinker Hatfield, J’s became increasingly “technical” in appearance. The culmination of this trend was the Air Jordan VIII, the design of which could be described in brief as “all straps, all the time.” Its upper was dominated by straps that crisscrossed over the front of the shoe and wrapped alongside and behind the ankle. Contrasting materials, colors and textures were also used in abundance.

With its dress shoe influences and almost minimalist design, the Air Jordan IX broke completely from this trend and set the tone that all subsequent Air Jordans-to this day-have followed. While I don’t recall the IX being particularly well received when it was originally released, it was the first high profile hoops shoe to embrace a more formal aesthetic and show the world that a hoops shoe doesn’t necessarily have to look like a sneaker. This break from tradition has since influenced footwear design in all categories of athletic footwear and so, though it’s not one of my personal favorite designs, I consider the Air Jordan IX to be one of the most important shoes in the rich history of the Air Jordan line.

Two last factoids before getting on to the performance of the shoe. First, though MJ never wore the original Air Jordan IX in an NBA game, he did wear a specially modified version of the shoe during his stint with the Birmingham Barons minor league baseball team. Second, the statue of MJ that stands in front of the United Center in Chicago depicts Jordan wearing-what else?-the Air Jordan IX! There’s a certain irony to MJ being immortalized as a Chicago Bull shod in a shoe that he never actually wore as a Bull.

Okay, so on to performance… the Air Jordan IX is still, over a decade after its original release, a very good hoops shoe. Its polyurethane midsole starts out feeling about as cushy as bedrock, but its upper feels great right out of the box, thanks in large part to the plush Dynamic-Fit inner bootie around which it’s built. Once the midsole is broken in, however (it takes two to three solid wearings), its two encapsulated Air-Sole units-a standard unit under the forefoot and a large volume unit under the heel-make their presence felt by way of unexpectedly good cushioning response. All the while, stability is top-notch thanks to the breadth and density of the shoe’s base.

The thing that most people will notice right off the bat about the IX is its cut, and that’s because it’s a good deal higher than all but a handful of its modern-day counterparts. Surprisingly, the high cut isn’t accompanied by an overly restrictive feel around the ankle, which is a good thing for players who are in a constant state of motion. This seeming contradiction stems from the IX’s near lack of padding alongside the big bones that protrude from each side of the ankle (i.e. the lateral and medial malleoli). But while this keeps the IX from feeling bulky and boot-like, it also means it doesn’t provide as much support around the ankle as its cut would lead one to expect. Don’t get me wrong, it’s good, just not as good as I thought it would be.

The only real problem I experienced during my testing of the Air Jordan IX was side-to-side movement of my foot within the forefoot area of the inner. And this wasn’t just an issue of improper sizing as the IX fit properly for length (in other words, if I had gone a full or even a half size down to get a narrower fit, the shoe would have been too short). Thankfully, the molded “fingers” that extend up from both sides of the midsole kept my feet from sliding all the way off the footbed during hard cuts, but the side-to-side shifting led to some discomfort as the medial side of my big toe repeatedly rubbed up against the inner. It wasn’t so bad that a blister developed, but the rubbing did accelerate the growth of a callus on the medial side of my big toe.

In summary, though the Air Jordan IX is no longer cutting edge, it is still a solid all-around performer. If you demand locked-down fit at the forefoot, you won’t be happy. But if you want more coverage at the ankle than most modern-day hoops shoes provide or need long lasting impact protection, the Air Jordan IX may be the shoe you’ve been looking for. Teams will also like the IX’s all-position versatility and durability (so long as it’s worn indoors only), though $125 is a bit rich for a team buy. On that point, whether you’re a team or an individual, there’s no question that you can get better value for your dollar these days. But something the Air Jordan IX gives you that the shoes of today don’t is performance plus the opportunity to play in a shoe that marks an important turning point in the history of athletic footwear design. If you see value in that, you’ll see value in the Air Jordan IX.

—From Issue 7, article by Professor K