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Last night, I spent what I intended to be twenty minutes reading ESPN’s 2009 Michael Jordan Hall of Fame Collector’s Issue. It turned into an hour and change. Beautifully written, lauding praise on the single most influential & gifted athlete of our lifetime. All praises aside, cop one.

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Towards the end of the issue, there was a small two-page spread regarding Jordan’s shoe legacy, the great and not so great contributions. I think these XXV’s will most likely end up on the not so great side of any future lists. Respect due to Jordan Brand, as they & Nike reshaped marketing & branding totally. Yet, these samples of the twenty-fifth installment in the Roman numeral series…not cutting it with the oversized Jumpan logo on the side, proving to be an eyesore. At this point, the proverbial cow’s teat squeeze is on as they’re obviously milking what’s left. Or are they tapped out on designs?

Whatever the case, I took a little joy in buying my kid J’s, even if I still didn’t wear them. It made me feel like I was helping keep alive the spirit of excellence & determination that Mike embodied. The black XXIII’s were purchased, but we skipped the XXIV’s figuring that the silver anniversary model would be “special.”

I guess it’ll have to be LeBron’s or Kobe’s. The XXV model looks to be “the Wizard years” Jordans.

Props: OSneaker