Air Jordan II (AJ2)

The Air Jordan 2 ventured down a different path than the original Air Jordan 1. Also designed by Peter Moore and Bruce Kilgore, the Air Jordan 2 went for a high-quality, prestigious look and feel. The shoe itself was made in Italy, using new materials for basketball shoes, including faux lizard skin. Unlike its predecessor, it featured no Nike Air branding and was the last shoe to prominently feature the Air Jordan ‘Wings’ logo in Air Jordan Sneakers original run.



Notably, we saw Jordan wearing all versions throughout the season and events. Including the Air Jordan 2 High White/Black (“Chicago Highs”), which he was wearing when he performed some of his most iconic dunks during the 1987 Slam Dunk Contest en route to his first win.

The shoe itself would ultimately come out during Jordan’s third season. He spent most of his second season rehabbing and instead played in versions of the Air Jordan 1 designed to support his ankle.

Also, Jordan averaged over 37 points per game and became the second ever to score over 3,000 points. He led the league in minutes played, field goals, and free throws. Jordan was first-team All-NBA and finished second to Magic Johnson (who won convincingly) for the league’s MVP award.

The general release of the shoe included 4 versions, detailed below, including:

• Air Jordan 2 High White/Black (“Chicago Highs”)
• Air Jordan 2 Low White/Black (Chicago Lows”)
• Air Jordan 2 High White/Red
• Air Jordan 2 Low White/Red

Jordan played in a player edition low white powder blue during the summer of 1987 at a charity event; a similar version was released in 2016 (832819-107).

In retrospect, the Air Jordan 2 evokes a lot of mixed feelings. Many purists appreciate the shoe and continually call for additional releases – which have been limited by comparison. At the time of the release, the shoe was a daring departure from some of the norms Nike was releasing. In the end, this was the last shoe created by Peter Moore and Bruce Kilgore for Jordan, and paved the way for a new series of designs to follow.