Evolution of Air Jordans Explained in 16 Minutes

Every Air Jordan Explained: 1 Through 40 From the banned Air Jordan 1 that built Nike's empire, to The Shot in the AJ4, the flu game 12s, the Last Shot 14s — and then the 25 shoes almost nobody talks about. The forgotten wilderness era (AJ15–23), the identity crisis years when the numbers disappeared (2009–2012), and the modern tribute ladder: the Air Jordan 31 honors the 1, the 32 honors the 2, all the way to the brand-new Air Jordan 40 that pays tribute to the entire line at once. Every model covered: release year, designer, the technology, the story behind it, why it succeeded or flopped — and whether it's actually worth buying in 2026. THE MYTHOLOGY 00:00 – Intro 00:25 – Air Jordan 1 (1985) – The Banned Shoe That Built Nike 01:12 – Air Jordan 2 (1986) – The Italian Luxury Experiment 01:48 – Air Jordan 3 (1988) – The Shoe That Kept Jordan at Nike 02:29 – Air Jordan 4 (1989) – The Shot 03:01 – Air Jordan 5 (1990) – The Fighter Jet 03:30 – Air Jordan 6 (1991) – The First Ring 03:58 – Air Jordan 7 (1992) – The Dream Team 04:28 – Air Jordan 8 (1993) – The Three-Peat Straps 05:00 – Air Jordan 9 (1993) – The One MJ Never Played In 05:24 – Air Jordan 10 (1994) – The Résumé on the Sole 05:50 – Air Jordan 11 (1995) – Patent Leather & 72 Wins 06:22 – Air Jordan 12 (1996) – The Flu Game 06:46 – Air Jordan 13 (1997) – The Black Cat 07:08 – Air Jordan 14 (1998) – The Last Shot THE WILDERNESS 07:36 – Air Jordan 15 (1999) – Great Shoe, Wrong Year 07:56 – Air Jordan 16 (2001) – The Magnetic Shroud 08:16 – Air Jordan 17 (2002) – The $200 Jazz Shoe 08:35 – Air Jordan 18 (2003) – Jordan's Final Game 08:54 – Air Jordan 19 (2004) – The Snake Skeleton 09:10 – Air Jordan 20 (2005) – The Laser-Etched Legacy 09:29 – Air Jordan 21 (2006) – The Hooper's Secret 09:48 – Air Jordan 22 (2007) – The Titanium First 10:06 – Air Jordan 23 (2008) – Tinker's Last Statement THE IDENTITY CRISIS 10:29 – Air Jordan 2009 (The 24) – The Numbers Disappear 10:42 – Air Jordan 2010 (The 25) – The Window 10:55 – Air Jordan 2011 (The 26) – Choose Your Weapon 11:13 – Air Jordan 2012 (The 27) – One Shoe, Three Flights THE TRIBUTE LADDER 11:31 – Air Jordan 28 (2013) – The Reset Nobody Bought 11:50 – Air Jordan 29 (2014) – The Woven One 12:07 – Air Jordan 30 (2015) – Tinker's Goodbye 12:26 – Air Jordan 31 (2016) – The 1 Returns 12:47 – Air Jordan 32 (2017) – Honoring the 2 13:04 – Air Jordan 33 (2018) – No Laces (The 3) 13:23 – Air Jordan 34 (2019) – Zion's Shoe (The 4) 13:42 – Air Jordan 35 (2020) – The 5, Modernized 14:02 – Air Jordan 36 (2021) – The 6, Reborn 14:24 – Air Jordan 37 (2022) – The 7's Weave 14:45 – Air Jordan 38 (2023) – The 8's Fadeaway 15:03 – Air Jordan 39 (2024) – The 9, Full Circle 15:29 – Air Jordan 40 (2025) – The Tribute to Everything 👟 WHAT'S IN THIS VIDEO – Every Air Jordan model 1–40 explained in order – Air Jordan history: Tinker Hatfield, Peter Moore, Jason Mayden designs – The forgotten Jordans: AJ15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 – The year-named era: Air Jordan 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 – The tribute ladder: AJ31 through AJ40 explained – Which Air Jordans are worth buying, resale value + buying tips If you're into sneaker history, Jordan Brand deep dives, and the stories behind the most iconic basketball shoes ever made — subscribe, there's a new sneaker explainer every week. #airjordan #sneakers #jordan1 #sneakerhistory #jordanbrand #michaeljordan #sneakercollection #airjordan40