Details on the Jordan 20 OG West Coast
Like much of Hatfield’s best work (including the “Black Cat” design of the 13s), the devil is in the details. In order to create a shoe that could summarize the life and career of the greatest basketball player of all time, Hatfield and his team filled the 20s with visual texture that carries hidden meaning. They reward any Michael Jordan enthusiast’s close inspection. For instance:
In addition, the uppers are adorned with over 200 graphic icons that highlight moments not only from Jordan’s career but from his life outside of basketball, including a 1976 Chevrolet Monte Carlo that commemorates Jordan’s mother and a toolbox reading “POPS” in honour of his dad. The twenty “pods” (described below) each feature a different inscribed graphic representing one of the 20 models of Air Jordans.
- On the back of the left heel are the numbers 85 and 05 – marking the release year of the first Air Jordans as well as marking the 20th anniversary
- Six contrasting colour “rings” on the heel commemorate the six championship titles that Jordan won
- The dimples along the side of the trainer number 69 – the number of points that MJ racked up in the highest-scoring game of his career
History of Air Jordan 19
2005 was a big year for Jordan Brand: the twentieth anniversary of the Air Jordan. After two decades of pioneering technical and style innovations that had pushed the trainer industry forward, it was time for the brand to look back on what it had accomplished. To do that without getting lost in nostalgia, Jordan called on Tinker Hatfield, the designer behind most of the Jordans worn on the court by MJ himself, to create something that would honour the legacies of both Jordan the player and Jordan the brand. Hatfield delivered. The Air Jordan 20 is a wearable retrospective of Michael Jordan’s life and career that also introduced several new features that would forever be associated with the Jordan line.
These highly collectible Jordans are an unreleased player exclusive. Designed for Houston Rockets player Derek Anderson, the shoes include a "ROCK 8" embroidery to reference Anderson's number and nickname. These player exclusive Jordans are a modified version of the Jordan 20 3⁄4 silhouettes. They feature the mid-top height, embossed leather upper, and glossy leather toe cap of other Jordan 20 3/4s. However, the colourway references Houston Rocket colours with its solid black upper, red sole, and yellow heel. This design stands out from the Jordan 20 OG trainer because it's missing the midfoot and ankle support straps.