For a couple of years now, rumors have been swirling about the return of the Nike Air Jordan 1 “Black Toe,” a prototype worn by Michael Jordan on a handful of occasions, including some iconic press photography. It was supposed to drop last October but then got pushed back a couple of times, landing now on February 15, coinciding with NBA All-Star Weekend. Let’s take a look at the highly-anticipated new sneaker and what makes it so noteworthy.
The Importance of the Black Toe
If I remember anything about 2023’s Air — the biopic chronicling Nike’s quest to secure Michael Jordan and essentially creating the signature shoe — it’s that there was a lot of risk involved. From the viewer’s perspective, Nike was the obvious underdog to get behind. But for the struggling shoe brand, risking everything for a basketball player who had yet to play an NBA game was almost unforgivable… almost.
Nike went through plenty of prototypes before landing on the final product that MJ would rock his rookie season in 1984. However, one of these prototypes has become a bit more mythical than the rest.
As opposed to the mostly-red version of the Air Jordan 1, Nike had also made a prototype that exchanged the red around the laces and down to the toe with black. At the time, the NBA had a rule that a player’s shoes had to be at least 51% white or black. Eventually, however, Nike agreed to pay the $5,000 fine that Jordan would get hit with each game (this would eventually get repealed in the 2000s).
While Michael wore the “Black Toe” variant of his Air Jordan 1s during several games his rookie season, the sneakers got more notoriety for showing up in a few iconic images. One photo depicts MJ wearing the shoes tied at the laces over his left shoulder, while the other features the sneakers on his feet as he ostensibly soars through the air with a basketball in-hand. This latter image, controversially inspired by a similar image by Jacobus Rentmeester for Life, was used to create the Jumpman silhouette.
The 2025 Reissue
Even if you’re just tangentially familiar with the Air Jordan 1s, you’ll surely be aware of the Wings logo on the upper collar. However, true to form, the “Black Toe” features the words “Air Jordan” instead. On the inner collar of the sneakers, there reads “My very best” in Michael’s handwriting as a nod to how he signed his autographs back then. However, you can only see this text under a UV light.
You’ll also notice some vintage flair under the uppers with the slightly distressed, yellowed midsole above the red outsole. Also, returning is the black tongue of the original, which hasn’t always been present with past reissues.
Nike is also quite proud of the shoebox included with the shoes, which features the aforementioned image of MJ with the shoes tied over his shoulder on the lid. The tissue paper inside includes hand sketches by Peter Moore, who designed and named the original Air Jordan.
Not Just Another Reissue
This isn’t the first “Black Toe” revival. In fact, the shoe was reissued in 2013 (albeit, with a controversial white tongue) and then again in 2016. However, the current edition has a bit more spunk and inspiration, especially with its thoughtful design elements and distressed details.
Spec Sheet
Model: Air Jordan 1 High OG “Black Toe”
Limited Edition?: Unspecified
Release Date: February 15
Pricing & Availability
It’s unclear if the Air Jordan 1 High OG “Black Toe” will be limited in edition size but I’m sure there is some sort of limited stock of the sneakers to some degree. Priced at $180, the shoes will drop February 15 from Nike’s website.
Recap
Nike Air Jordan 1 High OG “Black Toe”
Nike brings back the “Black Toe” prototype of the original Air Jordan 1, featuring more black details and the shoes name on the collar in place of the Wings logo.
