Air Jordans exist in tiers of exclusivity: at the bottom are general releases, at the top are player exclusives and one-offs created for Jordan Brand-sponsored athletes and influencers. Somewhere toward the high end of that hierarchy are the most limited retail pairs, ones that were available to the public but only in very small numbers. Inevitably, these fetch thousands of dollars on the resell market and became the stuff of sneaker lore.
Gathered here are the rarest colorways for each Air Jordan model that actually released. Some were made available at specific retailers, some were auctioned off for charity, and others were introduced to the public through less conventional means. But all of them did actually release at some point, even if they did so in numbers so scarce that they disappeared immediately thereafter.
Air Jordan 1 ‘WINGS for the Future'
Air Jordan 2 'Eminem'
Air Jordan 3 'Doernbecher'
Air Jordan 4 'Undefeated'
Air Jordan 5 'Quai 54'
Air Jordan 6 'Doernbecher'
Air Jordan 7 'Miro'
Air Jordan 8 'Ray Allen' & 'Q-Rich'
Why so rare? In 2008, 24 pairs of both Ray Allen and Quentin Richardson's Air Jordan 8 PEs dropped exclusively at the House Of Hoops in Harlem.
Air Jordan 9 'Bin 23'
Air Jordan 10 'Grimm'
Air Jordan 11 '25th Anniversary Jumpman'
Air Jordan 12 'PSNY' Regional Pack
Air Jordan 13 'Ray Allen'
Air Jordan 14 'UNC Mid'
Air Jordan 15 'Eastbay PE Pack'
Air Jordan 16 'SoleFly'
Air Jordan 17 Low 'Lightning'
Air Jordan 18 'Black Suede'
Air Jordan 19 'Flint'
Air Jordan 20 'Quickstrike'
Air Jordan 21 'Suede'
Why so rare? Jordan Brand went ahead and slapped a $5 upcharge on these two suede versions of its 21st signature sneaker. It also made them harder to get by tightening the distribution a bit, with the leather ones being made available at more accounts.