A full set of “Space Jam” 11s worn by pros of the past
The new Air Jordan 11 Low “Space Jam” is dropping this weekend, so I’m using that anticipated release as a good excuse to break out some of my favorite cards with sightings of the original Air Jordan 11 “Space Jam” in all its glory.
Be sure to rip some packs this weekend while rocking a pair of Air Jordan 11 Low “Space Jam”
Actually, to get technical, you’ll only see one original pair of the Air Jordan 11 from 1995 in the “Space Jam” colorway—and you can probably guess who’s wearing those. The rest of the pairs you’ll see are from its first-ever retail release in 2000, when all of us (who were alive back then) could obtain a pair, including the five pros you’ll see below.
1995-96 Topps Stadium Club #1 Michael Jordan // Air Jordan 11 PE
The history of the Air Jordan 11 “Space Jam” starts here, with Michael Jordan’s original Player Exclusive version of the Air Jordan 11 in a predominantly black colorway, which he wore during the 1995 NBA Playoffs. Even though Mike had returned to his original #23 uniform after briefly wearing #45 after his comeback to the NBA in 1995, his PE pairs of the black Jordan 11 (it didn’t pick up the “Space Jam” nickname until its retro release in 2000) had “45” on the heels. Anyway, that’s just a little trivia while you take in this beautiful 1995-96 TSC card with MJ skying for a dunk in his pair. Kicks on Cards don’t get much better than this!
2001-02 Topps TCC #50 Darius Miles // Air Jordan 11 Retro
From the only set of Topps TCC (Champions & Contenders) branded basketball cards, we spot early Jordan Brand team member Darius Miles in the “Space Jam” Air Jordan 11. This would be a pair from the shoe’s first official release in 2000. Darius laced up tons of great Air Jordans during his career, often in his own PE colorways, but few, if any, can top these OG Space Jams.
2002-03 Topps Stadium Club #99 Eddie Jones // Air Jordan 11 Retro
We get a second “Space Jam” sighting on a classic Topps Stadium Club card, but it’s Eddie Jones in a pair this time. Like Miles above, Jones was also a Jordan Brand athlete back in the day, and he got plenty of great Player Exclusives and even his own signature line. But again, why not just lace up the Space Jams every now and then?
2000-01 Upper Deck Black Diamond #61 Toni Kukoc // Air Jordan 11 Retro
Known to sometimes wear Air Jordans while he was teammates with MJ in Chicago, Toni Kukoc kept rocking Jays during his days with the Philadelphia 76ers, as we see here on his 2000-01 Black Diamond card. I’ve also seen him wearing “Concord” Air Jordan 11s on cards, so he must have been a big fan of the shoe. (Who isn’t?) Do we think Jordan was still hooking up his old teammate with pairs, or was Toni copping them at the mall? My guess would be the former.
2000-01 SP Authentic #81 Antonio Davis // Air Jordan 11 Retro
If you are a nerd like me and know what sneakers players were wearing in the NBA 20+ years ago, you might have been able to name Eddie Jones, Darius Miles, and maybe even Toni Kukoc as guys who would have been wearing the Air Jordan 11 “Space Jam” in the early 2000s. Our last two players featured are guys you likely wouldn’t have guessed would have been rocking 11s—or maybe even remembered existed, for that matter. First up is Antonio Davis, who you probably do remember, but maybe not the fact that he played for the Raptors.
2000-01 SP Authentic #23 Chucky Atkins // Air Jordan 11 Retro
Look, I could have included various other cards featuring somebody wearing the Air Jordan 11 “Space Jam,” but I went with Chucky Atkins. Why? Because of that beautiful red alternate Detroit Pistons “big horse” uniform, of course.
