For as much lip service has been paid to the decline in prestige for Air Jordan retros, that didn’t stop 2024 from being packed with can’t-miss drops from the house His Airness built.
This year was dominated by the Air Jordan 3 and Air Jordan 4, which together comprise half of the selection of Footwear News’ rearview Jordan sneakers of the year. The story doesn’t end with reissues, though, as Travis Scott continued to be a force and a pleasant surprise came in the form of the retooled Air Jordan 4 RM.
As the year comes to a close, and the annual holiday Air Jordan 11 is already in the rearview, take a look back at the Jordan sneakers that defined the year and proved a weakened Jordan Brand still carries a great deal of might.
Release Date: May 25
Price: $150
SKU: DZ4137-700
The core look of a Travis Scott sneaker can often be reduced to the word “brown,” but a welcomed change for many came with the “Canary” edition of his go-to Air Jordan 1 Low, which took on the colors of his Texas High School, Elkins. Even in a year marked by his Jordan and Nike signature shoe debuts, the rare embrace of color managed to stand out.
Release Date: November 23
Price: $220
SKU: DN3707-010
“Black Cement” 3s will be a common answer if you solicit opinions on the best sneaker of all-time, making its return to shelves a guaranteed hit. Bolstering this year’s retro, the first since 2018, was an even more faithful recreation of the original — barring some reported quality control issues, particularly on the elephant print. Stock for the sneaker was also quite high, eliminating few from being left in the cold.
Release Date: May 22
Price: $250
SKU: FN0344-001
As a follow-up to the white pair from 2023, J Balvin’s gradient-accented Air Jordan 3 returned with a darker treatment as a tribute to “Rio” — helping cement him as a blockbuster collaborator for Jordan Brand.
Release Date: June 20
Price: $225
SKU: FZ7974-300
Artist Nina Chanel Abney got busy with the materials for her Air Jordan 3, which offered a new sense of texture through its use of canvas and suede — not to mention a chenille Nike Air logo on the heel in hand-drawn form.
Release Date: May 4
Price: $215
SKU: FV5029-141
Longterm ‘heads will refer to these 4s as “Military Blue” no matter the official moniker, and the original colorway will aways find a receptive audience because being the most undersung of the first editions carries with it a great deal of prestige.
Release Date: February 17
Price: $215
SKU: FV5029-006
Some purists may have cried foul, but Jordan Brand’s “Reimagined” series delivered its biggest hit yet in swapping nubuck for suede on the quintessential Air Jordan 4 colorway. The high quality of the leather certainly helped, but the change in materials also felt more natural than the “Reimagined” Air Jordan 1s rendered in suede or satin.
Release Date: September 20
Price: $225
SKU: FZ4810-200
A Ma Maniére celebrated its 10th anniversary by becoming just the second entity to release a collection pooling Nike, Jordan Brand and Converse at once. And in that crowded field, it was the neutral-toned AJ4 that stood out most.
Release Date: July 20
Price: $160
SKU: HF4334-300
Jordan Brand found the right collaborator to debut its reconfigured Air Jordan 4 RM, “RM” being short for “Restomod,” which was intended for BMX riders even before Nigel Sylvester’s involvement. His emerald green makeup delivered one of the better sneaker stories of the year by matching the fence surrounding his grandmother’s driveway, where he first fell in love with cycling.
Release Date: December 14
Price: $230
SKU: CT8012-104
Another original Air Jordan colorway made its return with ample opportunities to purchase. When sneakerheads just want their sneakers, not much more needs to be said.
Release Date: April 30
Price: $200
SKU: FZ8117-100
A silhouette to call his own has been a long time coming for Travis Scott. Nothing could stop it from being a major event, not a name change after pairs already went on sale (Jumpman Jack gave way to CJ1 T-Rexx) or the arrival of another, albeit less fawned over, signature model from Nike not long after.
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.
