Aaron Hope 
Michael Jordan never wore the Air Jordan IX as a member of the Chicago Bulls, only later turning to the Cool Grey edition as a Washington Wizard in the early ’00s. It was a shoe designed for an NBA season that never happened for Jordan, his departure from the league for literally greener pastures leaving the basketball world in shock. And yet we might be able to produce an even bigger look of disbelief on the faces of most sneakerheads if we showed you this pair of Air Jordan IX samples from 1993, a look at what could have been from the shoe that carries that same speculative spirit. These joints are a 5/8ths cut with vaguely Air Jordan XX3-like argyle stitching on the side panels, a look that in combination with the significantly different tongue might have indicated a possible ‘I.E.’ release in the style of the original AJXI lows. This black and white pair features reverse Jumpman insignias on both heels and has us wondering how well they would have done if this version had hit retail instead. Click through to get a better look, let us know how they compare to the AJIXs we’ve come to know and love and stick with Sneaker News for more rare gems from the annals of sneaker history. via hiphopcaliber of NT.
