Get Low, Get Low: The Air Jordan 11 Low Cool Grey 2018 Release is Now Available

Air Jordan 11 Low Cool Grey

The rumors have proven true; all teasers can stop. The Air Jordan 11 low Cool Grey 2018 release is finally happening. The release of the Air Jordan 11 low Cool Grey has been rumored since a 2013 sample popped up on the internet. His airness also debuted the Air Jordan 11 low Cool Grey golf shoe during a round with pro-golfer Justin Thomas back in 2015.  

Jordans in their many hundreds of iterations have been generating hype since 1985. So what’s all the excitement about Air Jordan 11 low Cool Grey 2018 release?

Air Jordan 11 Low Cool Grey History

Proper Air Jordan 11 lows with classic patent leather support were not released until 2001 (Jordan 11 IE lows were released in 1995, but that’s something different). However, MJ played in Bred lows during the season and sported Concord lows during the Bulls’ 1996 championship parade.

The first Air Jordan 11 lows were released in 2001 in four colorways: White/Varsity Red, White/Columbia Blue, White/Black-Navy “Snack,” and White/Light Zen Grey. In addition to dropping the lows, the Air Jordan 11 mids were retroed in Dark Concord, Black/Varsity Royal, White/Columbia Blue, and the Cool Grey. The Cool Grey colorway was an immediate hit. Inspired by the Air Max 95, then Footwear Product Director Gentry Humphrey thought the two-tone grey colorway would be perfect for the Air Jordan 11.

A collection of Air Jordan 11s

 Of course, the hype surrounding the Air Jordan 11 low Cool Grey 2018 release wouldn’t exist if the OG Jordan 11s weren’t considered one of the greatest Jordan releases of all time.

The Return of MJ and the Air Jordan 11s

Jordan asked Nike designer Tinker Hatfield for a “shiny shoe.” Tinker responded with patent leather, nylon, and carbon fiber. Even though Jordan had retired, Tinker continued working on the shoe because he felt Jordan branded sneakers would continue to sell, whether or not Jordan was playing basketball. When Tinker showed Jordan the shoe, rumor has it that Jordan laughed and said that people would wear them with tuxedos (Boyz II Men wore Jordan 11s onstage, in tuxedos, at the 1996 Grammy Awards). Now considered one of the greatest Jordans of all time, it is also Jordan and Tinker’s favorite Air Jordan sneaker.

The initial Air Jordan 11s were released as mids in 1995 in three original colorways: the Dark Concord, the Bred, and the Columbia. Jordan wore the Space Jam model during Game 4 of the 1995 Eastern Conference semi-finals, but his “movie shoes” wouldn’t have a public release until December 2000.

The Space Jam 11, complete with Jordan’s post-retirement number 45.

The hype surrounding the Air Jordan 11s was incredible due to MJ’s return to the Bulls in 1995 after a short retirement and stint in Minor League Baseball. He then played the last few games of the 1994-1995 regular season, and the first round of the NBA playoffs against the Boston Celtics in the Air Jordan 10. For the Eastern Conference semi-finals the Bulls faced the Orlando Magic. Jordan and Tinker decided to drop some sneaker heat with the 11s.

The stage was set on May 1, 1995 for the debut of the Air Jordan 11 and another chapter in Air Jordan history. When Jordan wore the Air Jordan 11 Dark Concord for Game 1 of the semifinals, he earned himself another sneaker-related fine from the NBA a decade after earning his first with the iconic “banned” Air Jordan 1. Although the Bulls would lose the series to the Magic, Jordan would continue to wear the Air Jordan 11 during the Bulls’ 1995-1996 return to NBA championship glory.  

Retros, Colorways, and OG Status

OG Jordan colorways remain preeminent in the retro Air Jordan universe, however Cool Grey has become one of those must-haves like Bred, Black Cement, and Chicago. After the 2001 success of the Cool Grey, it received the retro treatment in 2010. But Cool Grey had yet to appear as an Air Jordan 11 low.  

Air Jordan 11 Cool Grey

For the first time, and filling in a major gap in the Jordan Brand line, the Air Jordan 11 low Cool Grey 2018 will be released on April 28. Featuring the classic two-tone grey upper made of nubuck and patent leather overlays, contrasting white laces, a matching midsole, and an icy blue translucent outsole, it looks as smooth as ever, befitting the iconic status of the Cool Grey colorway.

Air Jordan 11 Low Cool Grey 2018 Release

All of this brings us to now. The Air Jordan 11 is an landmark shoe, Cool Grey is a landmark colorway, and the combination of the 11 low and the colorway makes this release a landmark sneaker moment.

If you care about sneakers and sneaker history, if you’re reading this you obviously do, don’t miss your chance to be a part of Jordan history.