After months of waiting, the Air Jordan 1 High OG ‘Black Toe Reimagined’ is now officially official. To sneaker casuals, this might just look like another Air Jordan. But it’s actually a remake of one of the most legendary shoes in the history of the planet—and to die-hard fans, it’s all a bit surreal.
After Michael Jordan first signed with Nike back in 1984, he rocked a very early version of the Air Jordan 1 during a game in his rookie season. Nicknamed the ‘Black Toe,’ he autographed them after the game and gifted them to a close friend of his. On the left shoe he wrote “My very best – Michael Jordan,” while the right one was scrawled with “My very best – to brother – love always, Michael Jordan #23.”
While he probably didn’t know it at the time, the Air Jordan 1 would blow up in the months that followed. And while we’re not going to go through all the details (Ben Affleck already did that in 2023’s Air), the silhouette quickly became arguably the greatest basketball shoe of all time.
For the ‘Black Toe Reimagined,’ Jordan Brand has taken that OG colorway and remade it down to its very last detail. Decked out in a full leather construction (that’s apparently more luxe compared to regular AJ1s), it’s colored in the exact same palette and has a Swoosh on the lateral and medial sidewalls. And while it could’ve been left there and still probably would’ve sold out, MJ’s autograph and messages have also been replicated across the collars.
