SOLE COLLECTOR: Sneakers

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Key Tech: Encapsulated Air-Sole unit (full-length)

Use: Hoops, Indoor and Outdoor

Position: All

Colorway Tested: White/Varsity Red/Black

Price: $110 for the 2004 Retro (the O.G. retailed for $100)

Pros: Good support around and under the foot; tons of support around the ankle (perhaps too much-see the “Cons” list below); dense polyurethane midsole should last pretty much forever (apparently the Retro’s midsole is made of Phylon, which is less dense than polyurethane, but should hold up nearly as well thanks to its overall thickness); tough leather upper should hold up very well against wear; excellent traction

Cons: Uncomfortable for on-court wear as compared to modern-day hoops shoes; the upper and midsole start out feeling horribly stiff; inner chafes through first few wearings; if I wanted to wear an ankle brace, I’d wear an ankle brace; even with its super high cut, the shoe allowed a bit of heel slip; thick midsole makes the shoe feel a little “tippy”

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SECOND, BUT FIRST IN SO MANY WAYS

I’D IMAGINE THAT AFTER THE TWO JERRYS IN CHICAGO, Messrs. Krause and Reinsdorf, the only people closer to cardiac arrest at the moment MJ departed the third game of his second season with severe pain in his left foot were Phil Knight & Co. back in Beaverton (okay, so David Falk, Jordan’s agent then and now, was probably flatlining at the time as well). The injury was eventually diagnosed as a tarsal navicular fracture and it grounded Jordan for nearly the entire 1985-86 season.

Certainly, the folks at Nike seemed to take the hit to their golden goose to heart (Jordan was wearing the Air Jordan I at the time of the injury), as they made his next shoe, the Air Jordan II, an order of magnitude more substantial. Where this is most obvious is in its midsole, which is a bit thicker than the I’s at the heel and felt, to me, to be fully twice as thick under the forefoot. This added thickness stems from the use of a full-length Air-Sole unit in the midsole of the Air Jordan II, meaning that the bag of air encapsulated within it extends under nearly the full-length of the foot. By contrast, the Air Jordan I’s air bag provided coverage under only the heel.

As significant a difference as that is, it didn’t seem to amount to much on the court; at least not at first, as the Air Jordan II’s midsole felt about as hard to my weary dogs as the I’s. The departure from the cushioning shortcomings of its predecessor only started to set in a few wearings on, when I began to notice a decided improvement in feel. The midsole never became particularly responsive, but once broken in, it did a good job soaking up impacts under both my forefoot and heel. The only downsides were that the thickness of the midsole sacrificed court feel and, when combined with its hard, blocky perimeter, the tall midsole imparted a somewhat “tippy” feel. But, if you’re a fan of firm cushioning, you’ll like the II - even as compared to more modern shoes.

One positive attribute of the Air Jordan I that’s retained in the II is squeak inducing, varnish abusing traction. I don’t know what it is about these older shoes, but they all seem to provide ass-kicking grip.

Where the II falls short of its contemporary competition is in its upper. For its time it was advanced, particularly in the use of an externalized, thermoformed plastic heel counter complete with an accordion-like hinge behind the Achilles tendon to ease plantar flexion. But the II is overly stiff and restrictive, even as compared to a modern-day big man’s shoe, let alone a guard’s shoe. This is particularly true around the rearfoot, where the upper locks the ankle in a vice-like grip and provides support that would give most ankle braces a run for their money. If beaucoup coverage and support around the ankle is your thing you’ll be in heaven, but my guess is that most guards and mobile forwards will find it excessive.

And yet, even with its weaknesses, the Air Jordan II is, unlike its predecessor, a shoe that can be played in to this day without first adding a rider to your life insurance policy. I chalk this up to the skills and vision of Bruce Kilgore, lead designer of the II and a man who seems to know a thing or two about designing and developing shoes that withstand the test of time (Kilgore, who is actually an engineer by training, also designed the legendary Air Force 1 and played a key role in the development of Nike’s Shox cushioning system). If you’re a guard you’ll probably prefer the II in lowtop form, but if you’re a big fella the mid may be just what you’ve been looking for all these years. Like the oldie that it is, the Air Jordan II starts out stiff and rickety, but once it’s warmed up, it can still get down.

—From Issue 7, article by Professor K