Jordan Brand will release the Air Jordan 1 Low OG "Garden" on Saturday, Sept. 26, at 10 a.m. ET for $155 on the Nike SNKRS app, with Foot Locker and select retailers also carrying the pair, Sports Illustrated reports. The style code is IR0088-001 and the colorway is Black/Varsity Red-Summit White. Sneaker outlets have been calling it the "Last Dance at the Garden."
The game behind the shoe
On March 8, 1998, during what became known as the "Last Dance" season, Michael Jordan played what he expected to be his final game at Madison Square Garden as a Chicago Bull. By then his current signature shoe was the Air Jordan 13, but he laced up a pair of Air Jordan 1s in the original "Chicago" colorway instead, according to Nike, and wore them with the Bulls' black-and-red road uniforms.
Jordan scored 42 points on 17-of-33 shooting, with eight rebounds, six assists and three steals, in a 102-89 win over the Knicks in front of 19,763 fans, per the Basketball-Reference box score. Sneaker outlets including Complex have long retold that the pair was a size too small and that his feet were bleeding by the end of the night.
The design
The new Low swaps the Chicago colorway's solid red leather overlays for a red-and-black floral woven textile on the toe, eyelet stay and heel. Nike says the floral motif salutes Jordan's last dance in the city, and SI reports the black-and-red palette draws on the Bulls' road alternates. White leather sits underneath, and the Swoosh is black pebbled leather outlined in Metallic Gold.
Other details, visible in Nike's official photos:
- Gold eyelets and a gold embroidered Wings logo on each heel
- A blue-and-orange lace loop on the tongue, in the Knicks' colors
- A red "Nike Air" tongue tag
- Pink insoles, one with blue "Nike Air" branding and one with orange
- A white midsole on a red outsole
Nike says the pair comes in special packaging. SI reports the box carries a line from Jordan about playing at the Garden and that the pair includes extra laces in black, blue and orange. SneakerFiles reports grade school, preschool and toddler sizes at $120, $80 and $65. Nike's launch page lists adult sizes only.
The "Garden" follows other Air Jordan 1 Low OG releases this year that tie a colorway to a specific piece of Jordan history, including the "Banned" in May and the "Pine Green" in June.
Source: Nike SNKRS, Sports Illustrated
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