Air Jordan II

Air Jordan II

Designer: Bruce Kilgore

Released: 1986

Nike faced a unique challenge following the unprecedented success of the original Air Jordan; how to follow it up. The popularity of the shoe's namesake, Michael Jordan, already had begun outgrowing his home country, and Nike went to Italy to produce the Air Jordan II. While this nod to internationally renowned Italian style was the first - and to date, only - Air Jordan produced in that country, it wasn't the only first for the franchise. Bruce Kilgore, who also had designed the Air Force One, made the AJ II the first to not feature Nike's familiar Swoosh logo. "Nike" appeared across the top of the heel counter, and the Wings logo of the original Air Jordan was on the tongue. The AJ II shared a silhouette with the Nike Air Python that released in 1987, including a faux lizard skin upper and swooping lines that resembled those of a sports car (which would factor prominently into the Jordan line in years to come). Known among sneaker collectors as the first "luxury" basketball shoe, the AJ II paved the way for the heat that would accompany the Air Jordan III. In the testing phase for the AJ II, Jordan wore a prototype that featured the upper of the original Air Jordan fused with the cushioning of the AJ II. The new edition included a full-length Air-Sole unit meant to add extra cushioning for Jordan's sore feet. He only got to wear the AJ II for 18 games due to a broken foot.