The Jordan “Bred” nickname came from a colorway of the Air Jordan XI, which released in time for the 1995-96 NBA season and became known as the Jordan Retro 11 when it was re-released in 2000. While the “11” wouldn’t officially release until November, an impatient MJ had broken out the White/Black colorway in his May 1995 playoff series against Orlando.

The predominantly black “Bred” colorway, with its hits of red that included a red translucent outsole, landed on store shelves in late March of 1996. But it didn’t debut on the court until game 1 of that season’s playoffs.

Jordan, in his first full season after returning from a brief retirement, led Chicago to a historic 72-10 record and a six-game series championship win over Seattle. In a season that saw MJ become the second player in league history to earn MVP honors for the all-star game, the regular season, and the finals, his most meaningful moment came after it was all over.

Connect with the era of Air

The clinching game came on Father’s Day of that year, nearly three years after MJ lost his own father. Footage shows what an emotional moment it was for MJ, as he lay on the floor – Breds on his feet – clutching the game ball in tears.

It’s just such a connection that Jordan’s signature shoe line can have for those who watched him, and for those younger ballers who have had to get to know him through videos.

However we get to watch Jordan’s greatness, we can relive highlights from his career with each model. The Retro 1 represents the shoe that started it all. The Retro 10 lists MJ’s career accomplishments on the outsole. The Retro 13 draws inspiration from his on-court persona of a black panther. And so on.

The “Bred” nickname has expanded to refer to other Black/Red colorways of Nike and Jordan models, too. Sizes range from Infant to Toddler to Preschool to Grade School, so click/tap through to see what’s available.