Top 10 Most Popular Air Jordans Ever Released

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The story of Air Jordans started in 1984 when Nike and Michael Jordan collaborated on an exclusive shoe for the basketball star.

At that time, Nike created a pair of sneakers called Air Jordans that would become the most iconic piece of footwear in the history of fashion and sports.

If you’re interested in reading more about the history behind Air Jordan shoes, scroll to the end of the article.

Thirty-eight years and 36 models later, Air Jordan remains the most popular shoe on social media, with 15 million Instagram posts and almost 4 BILLION views on TikTok!

Without delay, these are the 10 most popular Air Jordans basketball shoes of all time:

Top 10 Most Popular Air Jordans (2022)
Rank Jordan Model Insta Posts TikTok Views
1. Air Jordan 1 4.4M 2.6B
2. Air Jordan 4 1.4M 724.6M
3. Air Jordan 11 1.7M 146M
4. Air Jordan 3 804K 67.8M
5. Air Jordan 5 786K 67.3M
6. Air Jordan 6 941K 34.8M
7. Air Jordan 12 665K 50.4M
8. Air Jordan 13 465K 15.7M
9. Air Jordan 9 185K 22.4M
10. Air Jordan 7 338K 3.7M





1/10
Air Jordan 1

Chicago

Air Jordan 1 Chicago
Air Jordan 1 Chicago (thevou.com)

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  • First Release: 1985
  • Initial Price: $65
  • Colors: White/Varsity, Red-Black
  • Style: High-top

The first Air Jordans ever released and the most popular Jordans shoes with a whopping 2.6 billion views on TikTok and 4.4 million posts on Instagram, the Air Jordan 1 Retro Chicago is a collector’s dream.

Released in 1985 and first seen on Michael Jordan’s feet in 1984 when the Chicago Bulls played the Philadelphia 76ers, Air Jordan 1 follows a classic style shoe model.

From the then-revolutionary air cushioning to the wings logo representing the high-flying rookie, the AJ1’s iconic silhouette continues to be the holiest of grails among collectors.

Since premiering on ‘The Last Dance’ show on Netflix, the white leather Chicago colorway has skyrocketed in popularity, but you can still get your hands on some.


2/10
Air Jordan 4

Bred Black Cement

Air Jordan 4 Bred Black Cement
Air Jordan 4 Bred Black Cement (htevou.com)

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  • First Release: 1989
  • Initial Price: $110
  • Colors: Black/Cement, Grey-Summit, White-Fire Red
  • Style: Low-top

Ranking second best Air Jordans ever is the Jordan model 4, Nike’s first model of the Air Jordan to be released globally.

Air Jordan 4 is also the first sneaker in the collection to grace the silver screen, appearing in Spike Lee’s ‘Do the Right Thing’ show.

Building upon the forward-thinking design elements of its predecessors, Jordan 4 shoes featured a new lacing support system called ‘wings’ and mesh netting on the tongue and side panels.

The shoes were also much lighter, designed to simulate the feeling of flight.

A true longevity example, Air Jordan 4 ‘Black Cement or Bred 4, comes with a red sole, black upper plus grey accents, white midsole plus black, with white and grey accents.





3/10
Air Jordan 11

Concord

Air Jordan 11 Concord
Air Jordan 11 Concord (thevou.com)

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  • First Release: 1995
  • Initial Price: $125
  • Colors: White/Black-Concord
  • Style: Low-top

With lower TikTok views of around 146 million means, Air Jordan 11 shoe must settle for third place in our top 20 best Air Jordans of all times.

In 1995, after a two-season stint in the MLB, Michael Jordan was the biggest star on the planet.

Jordan returned to the basketball court wearing Jordan 11, where he won his fourth NBA championship title and was named MVP.

Jordan 11 – Concord shoe model gained iconic status after being featured in the film Space Jam, which solidified Jordan’s pop-culture phenomenon status.

The shoe featured black patent leather mudguards, webbing lace loops, and a translucent outsole.


4/10
Air Jordan 3

White Cement

Air Jordan 3 White Cement
Air Jordan 3 White Cement (thevou.com)

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  • First Release: 1988
  • Initial Price: $100
  • Colors: White/Cement Grey-Black
  • Style: High-top

With over 800,000 Instagram Posts and almost 68 million TikTok views, Air Jordan 3 takes 4th place in the top 10 best Jordans EVER.

Jordan 3 is the first Air Jordan model to feature the iconic ‘Jumpman’ logo, following Michael Jordan’s gravity-defying performance in his second ‘Dunk Contest’ victory.

The first design of Tinker Hatfield, who took the reins from Peter Moore, Hatfield continued with the Swoosh-free design introduced with Jordan’s second generation.

Hatfield Jordan 3 release with eye-catching elephant print panels to the uppers was architectural and pushed the scope of sneaker design to new limits.





5/10
Air Jordan 5

The Shark/Fire Red

Air Jordan 5 The Shark/Fire Red
Air Jordan 5 The Shark/Fire Red (thevou.com)

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  • First Release: 1990
  • Initial Price: $125
  • Colors: White/Fire Red-Black
  • Style: High-top

Rounding off the best Air Jordans of all times is the 5th edition of the Air Jordan collection, Jordans no 5, with 786,000 Instagram posts and over 67 million TikTok views.

When Michael Jordan soared through the air, attacking the hoop, he did so with ‘a bite,’ like a predator, like a shark.

Equally, the 5th generation of Jordan’s shoes has a shark-tooth design inspired by WW 2 fighter jets.

The model also has a translucent rubber sole inspired by Marty McFly’s self-lacing Nike from Back to the Future 2.


6/10
Air Jordan 6

Black Infrared

Air Jordan 6 Black Infrared
Air Jordan 6 Black Infrared (thevou.com)

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  • First Release: 1991
  • Initial Price: $100
  • Colors: Back/Red
  • Style: High-top

Coming in position 6 of the top 10 best Jordans EVER, with over 900,000 Instagram Posts and almost 35 million TikTok views, are the Air Jordans with the same number, Jordans 6.

Released in 1991, the Jordan 6 has seen many great colorways, but the most popular in the sneaker culture remains the original ‘Black Infrared’ style.

Featuring a sleek black design with a bold hit of neon red and smooth leather, this Jordan shoe variation continues to make an instant statement.





7/10
Air Jordan 12

Cement

Air Jordan 12 Cement
Air Jordan 12 Cement (thevou.com)

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  • First Release: 1988
  • Initial Price: $125
  • Colors: White/Cement Grey-Black
  • Style: High-top

With over 650,000 Instagram Posts and almost 51 million TikTok views, Jordan 12 takes 7th place in the top 10 best Jordans EVER.

The Air Jordan 12 was inspired by two sources: The Japanese flag and a women’s shoe design from the 19th century (“Nisshoki”).

Jordans 12 were top-selling Air Jordans worn by Scottie Pippen, Bill Wennington, and Luc Longley.

Pippen fell in love with this iconic pair and dumped his Max Air system for them.

The best thing about the 12s: they retained the carbon spring plate from the Jordan 11, and they were the first of the Air Jordan series to include Zoom Air—that too at an affordable price of just $125.


8/10
Air Jordan 13

Bred

Air Jordan 13 Bred
Air Jordan 13 Bred (thevou.com)

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  • First Release: 1997
  • Initial Price: $150
  • Colors: Back/Red
  • Style: High-top

With over 465,000 Instagram Posts and almost 14 million TikTok views, Air Jordan 13 takes 8th place in the top 10 best Jordans EVER.

Launched in 1997, Air Jordan 13 – Bred had multiple sell-out re-releases over the years and is said to be one of the most comfortable shoes in the Jordan line.

However, the black and red (Bred) colorway remain popular among fans.

Air Jordan 13 is one rare jewel that gets eclipsed under something else.

The Air Jordan 13 shoes were released in five midway and two low-way colors.

The shoe also boasted a panther’s eye hologram on the upper, and the lower part of the shoe was meant to look like a paw.

In these shoes, Michael Jordan broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s NBA record by scoring double-digits for the 788th consecutive game.





9/10
Air Jordan 9

Black Bottom

Air Jordan 9 Black Bottom
Air Jordan 9 Black Bottom (thevou.com)

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  • First Release: 1988
  • Initial Price: $190
  • Colors: Photo Blue
  • Style: High-top

With over 185,000 Instagram Posts and almost 23 million TikTok views, Jordan 9 takes 9th place in the top 10 best Jordans EVER.

The Air Jordan 9 was the only model in the entire Air Jordan line released when Michael Jordan wasn’t bludgeoning other teams for the Chicago Bulls.

Designed by the same genius, Tinker Hatfield, the Air Jordan 9 heads the cleanest look of all shoes in the Jordan brand family.

The outsole carried beautiful symbols and inscriptions in foreign languages, including Japanese, Chinese, and others.

Nike released the Air Jordan 9 in the controversial Photo Blue and four colorways.

Many more retros were released later on, and Jordan 9 remains one of the most favorite models of the Air Jordan series.


10/10
Air Jordan 7

Olympic

Air Jordan 7 Olympic
Air Jordan 7 Olympic (thevou.com)

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  • First Release: 1992
  • Initial Price: $250
  • Colors: Back/White/Red/Blue
  • Style: High-top

With over 3380,000 Instagram Posts and almost 4 million TikTok views, Jordan 7 takes 10th place in the top 10 best Air Jordans EVER.

A favorite amongst fans, the Air Jordan 7 Bordeaux was launched in 1992 in a unique colorway in suede style.

The Air Jordan 7 was the shot of confidence, victory, and a peak of Michael Jordan’s mastery on the basketball court and drew the most extreme responses from the customers.

Some fell in love with it as soon as it came out; others despised it.

Yet, no other model of the Air Jordan series had evoked such vivid responses from the fans.

Michael Jordan wore the “Olympic” Air Jordan 7 as a member of the Dream Team in 1992.

The Air Jordan 6 Retro later got an “Olympic” colorway for the 2000 Summer Olympics, where Team Jordan wore it.





The Verdict

The label GOAT is a distinction that has lost some of its luster over the past couple of years.

But in the case of Michael Jordan, the acronym for “greatest of all time” continues to shine bright.

With a line of sneakers that bear his name, the retired basketball player is in the hall of fame of not just sports stars but all-around pop culture icons.

Created by shoe experts like Peter Moore and Tinker Hatfield, with the guidance of Jordan, the Nike Air Jordans comprise many silhouettes, colors, and materials, as seen in the current sneaker trends.

But, from all releases, these 10 pairs of Jordan shoes are legendary and have gained the status of the most popular Jordans of all time.

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Keep up with the latest in fashion, beauty and style!

Now it’s your turn…

Which one of these 10 pairs of Air Jordans do you see as the best, and why?

Which Jordan shoe model do you think we should include in our next article update?

Please leave your comments below; we always appreciate your comments and use them to learn, improve, and update these articles.



Growing up in western PEI, Bruce Knox blends his extensive public health, non-profit, and public sector background with a deep love for innovative technologies to bring people together in healthier communities and environments.

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1 COMMENT

  1. Quick Air Jordan sneakers question: The very popular Air Force 1 sneakers, the ones you see on the streets pretty much everywhere now, have they been used in any basketball games or that’s just a streetwear sneaker pair?

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