Overview of the 2015 Jordan 20 Retro Playoffs Sneakers
Like much of Hatfield’s best work (including the “Black Cat” design of the 13s), the devil is in the details. In order to create a shoe that could summarize the life and career of the greatest basketball player of all time, Hatfield and his team filled the 20s with visual texture that carries hidden meaning. They reward any Michael Jordan enthusiast’s close inspection. For instance:
In addition, the uppers are adorned with over 200 graphic icons that highlight moments not only from Jordan’s career but from his life outside of basketball, including a 1976 Chevrolet Monte Carlo that commemorates Jordan’s mother and a toolbox reading “POPS” in honor of his dad. The twenty “pods” (described below) each feature a different inscribed graphic representing one of the 20 models of Air Jordans.
- On the back of the left heel are the numbers 85 and 05 – marking the release year of the first Air Jordans as well as marking the 20th anniversary
- Six contrasting color “rings” on the heel commemorate the six championship titles that Jordan won
- The dimples along the side of the sneaker number 69 – the number of points that MJ racked up in the highest-scoring game of his career
History of Air Jordan 19
2005 was a big year for Jordan Brand: the twentieth anniversary of the Air Jordan. After two decades of pioneering technical and style innovations that had pushed the sneaker industry forward, it was time for the brand to look back on what it had accomplished. To do that without getting lost in nostalgia, Jordan called on Tinker Hatfield, the designer behind most of the Jordans worn on the court by MJ himself, to create something that would honor the legacies of both Jordan the player and Jordan the brand. Hatfield delivered. The Air Jordan 20 is a wearable retrospective of Michael Jordan’s life and career that also introduced several new features that would forever be associated with the Jordan line.
Jordan 20 Retro Playoffs 2015
The Jordan 20 retro sneakers were released on June 6th, 2015, right before the NBA playoffs. Their silhouette features a black leather upper, a floating ankle strap, and a midfoot strap that's laser engraved. These black, grey, and white Jordans have an Oreo color scheme, featuring a white overlay at the toe that wraps around the side and Cool Grey accents at the midsole. The underfoot of these Jordan sneakers are fitted with Independent Podular Suspension technology for better cushioning. White and Cool Grey accents can also be found on the outsole and at the heel. The midfoot strap is laser engraved with Jordan icons and highlights from his career.