Triple come back
If Jordan was back, so was Tinker Hatfield. A terrific design with a new patent leather and the return of the clear rubber sole made the Air Jordan XI the most appreciated Air Jordan model ever released.

But when the design stunned everyone, the durability and quality was disappointing. Again the clear rubber soles easily yellowed and the patent leather also tended to crack up and/or easily get scratched. Top design – lacking quality

With the Air Jordan 11 (XI)’s, we also saw the return of low-tops. Something that would follow the Air Jordan’s all the way to the Air Jordan 16 (XVI)’s (though skipping the Air Jordan 12 (XII)’s). Back to the banning days
Michael was fined $5000 per game during the semifinals in 1995 for wearing the Air Jordan 11 (XI) Original (OG) – Concords (White / Black – Dark Concord). He wore them twice and this was looked upon as uniform violation as the rest of the Bulls wore entirely black shoes. (This kind of brings back memories from when the Air Jordan 1 (I)’s were banned from the NBA.)Being fined two games was enough though and the next game he wore Anfernee Hardaway’s shoes.But did Nike enjoy MJ not wearing AJ’s? Probably not as he got the Air Jordan 11 (XI) Original (OG) – Space Jams (Black / Varsity Royal – White) for the remaining games. The same shoes that could also be seen in the movie Space Jam. Retro fever
When the Air Jordan 11’s were retroed in 2000-2001, they would prove to become the retro that sold in the highest quantity ever and also the fastest selling Air Jordan’s of all time.

The Air Jordan XII (12) was released in 1996/1997. In the 96/97 season Jordan saw himself being bounced off the MVP throne by Karl Malone, who won the honor with the slimmest margin one can think off. Jordan got his revenge in the finals though, and led the Bulls past Malone’s Utah Jazz and also picked up the Finals MVP honors for the fifth time (out of five tries!).

Sun sets in Japan
This shoe was again something totally new when it came to design. The way the ribbed leather seemed to go all the way to down to the ground due to the match in color with the midsoles, really made people turn their heads. This unique design was partly inspired by the flag of the Japanese Army & Navy in which the red circle is surrounded by a “sunset”.

The Air Jordan 12 (XII)’s were also one of the most durable AJ’s to date. It seemed almost nothing could break these shoes down. One major disadvantage was that they pretty easily got dirty and was hard to clean. Especially the ones with white midsoles/soles.

Jordan Brand
In September 1997 Nike decided to launch a new sub-brand of Nike called Jordan Brand. This made the Air Jordan XII one of the first products that were a part of the Jordan Brand collection.

Probably due to this fact, the Air Jordan 12 XII was the first Air Jordan that did not have a Swoosh or a Nike logo anywhere on the shoe. Not even on the insole.

The Air Jordan 15 (XV) SE - Braggin Rights / UNC (White / Metallic Silver - University Blue - Miners Gold) were  released limitedly on  April 12, 2008 and retailed for $125.  They were released alongside the  Air Jordan 15 (XV) SE - Braggin Rights / Georgetown (White / Midnight Navy - Metallic Silver) to coincide with  March Madness, and feature the official colors of the University of North  Carolina, as well as details from the uniforms along the  base of the shoe.

The Air Jordan Retro XVI(16)was released in 2001. Following the success of theAir Jordan 15 (XV), there was no doubt that Nike/JB would continue to release Air Jordan’s. The Air Jordan 16 (XVI)s were the next shoe to hit the shelves.
Hatfield moves on
The Air Jordan 16 (XVI) were designed by Nike’s Senior Footwear Designer Wilson Smith. This meant it was the first design since the Air Jordan 3 (III) that Tinker Hatfield wasn’t behind. Hatfield was said to have moved up and he left Smith with the hard task in creating a revolutionary new design.
Smith decided to bring in a few design elements/fabrics from earlier releases. For instance we saw the return of the clear rubber sole (Air Jordan 5 (V), Air Jordan 6 (VI), Air Jordan 11 (XI)) and they also featured patent leather (Air Jordan 11 (XI)).
Gaiter on – gaiter off
But what made the Air Jordan 16 (XVI) unique was the brand new gaiter/shroud that covered the shoe and that could be removed to give the shoe a brand new look. Not only was this for stylish purposes, it also had a thermal functionality.
The shoe was a little stiff and to wear the shroud/gaiter when playing basketball really wasn’t a good idea, as it pretty easily could fall off. The black/red and white/mn navy both featured patent leather which very easily got creased and cracked. Best for playing in were the one’s without patent leather, for sure…
The overall design was great and it’s great to see a new designer put his foot forward. Hopefully we’ll see Wilson Smith involved in the work with coming designs.

Well, if the Air Jordan 17 (XVII) were equipped with a gaiter/shroud that was removable and that would cover almost more than half of the shoe, the Air Jordan 17 (XVII)s were no worse. With a removable midfoot cover you were once again given the power to choose whether or not the laces should be visible!
Metal and CD
But the midfoot cover was not everything. This shoe came with a Jumpman embossed metal carrying case. So, this was not your average shoe box. OK, we had seen this when the Japan exclusive Air Jordan 1 (I) were released on January 1st 2001 but hey, now everyone could get one.
But, believe it or not, it doesn’t stop there. In the lid of the carrying case a CD-rom could be found. Nike really knew how to make their customers happy!
Overpriced?
When you decide to add a metal case and a CD something tells you the production cost must rise quite a bit. This also seemed to be the case as the Air Jordan 17 (XVII) had a retail price at $200.

The Air Jordan Retro 23 (XX3 or XXIII) is said to be the last model of the Air Jordan series by many individuals high in Jordan Brand including the head of footwear marketing, Gentry Humphrey. While there was alot of celebration for the 20th year anniversary of Air Jordans, there is much anticipation for the Air Jordan Retro 23 (XX3 or XXIII).

Performance wise, the Air Jordan Retro 23 (XX3 or XXIII) is said to be above and beyond that of any other Air Jordan. For the third straight year, the Air Jordan Retro 23 (XX3 or XXIII) uses IPS (Independent Podular Suspension) Cushioning. For support, a carbon fiber plate extends along the bottom the of sole that modeled of Michael Jordan's thumb print.

Cosmetically, the shoe is as unique as any other Jordan model relative to the rest of the field. Starting at the toe, the toe cap has Michael Jordan�s signature embossed. The side of the shoe features a stitched pattern that gives the shoes strength in addition to cosmetic effect. The tongue of the left and right are different for a first time with a Jumpman on the right shoe and “23″ on the left. Lastly what starts at the front of the shoe and extends the full length is a glittery glossy panel that covers the midsole body of the sneaker.