An OG Air Jordan 12 colorway is set to return to stores in 2025 for the first time in seven years.
The Air Jordan 12 “Taxi” will release in late 2025, according to a report from the trusted sneaker leaker known as @zSneakerHeadz on Twitter/X. Clad predominantly in black in white, “Taxi” was the model’s launch colorway and was regularly worn by Michael Jordan on the court during the early part of the 1996-1997 NBA season. Select hits of yellow give the shoe its name and appear on the heel pull’s Jumpman badge and the carbon fiber plate visible through the outsole. Two rows of gold-tone metal eyelets give the shoe a sense of refinement, while small dashes of red also appear throughout, including the “23” on the lower heel.
Designed by Tinker Hatfield, the Air Jordan 12’s most overt inspiration comes from Japan’s Rising Sun flag, which informs the array of rippled lines across the top part of the shoe’s leather upper. A women’s heeled derby with a patent leather toe also informed the AJ12’s pebbled leather paneling, while it was the first Air Jordan to make use of Zoom Air technology. And just like the Air Jordan 11, the Air Jordan 12 features a carbon fiber midfoot shank.
Air Jordan formally became its own brand in 1997, and as the first model of this new era, the Air Jordan 12 was also the first to go without any visible Nike mark. Jordan wore four of the five original colorways through the ’96-’97 season and playoff run, with the black and red variant being referred to as the “Flu Game” because Jordan wore it for his legendary NBA Finals performance while under the weather and on the way to the second of three titles in the Chicago Bulls’ second three-peat.
The Air Jordan 12 “Taxi” will release late in 2025, either during the fall or the holiday season. Pricing is set at $215.
Ian Servantes is a Senior News Editor for Footwear News specializing in sneaker coverage. He’s previously reported on streetwear and sneakers at Input and Highsnobiety after beginning his career on the pop culture beat. He subscribes to the idea that “ball is life” and doesn’t fuss over his kicks getting dirty.
