On February 2, 1996, the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers met at the "Fabulous" Forum for one of the most anticipated regular-season games ever: the return of Jordan vs. Magic. By virtue of Magic Johnson’s initial retirement in 1991 stemming from his HIV diagnosis and Jordan's surprise retirement in October of 1993, it had been five long years since they last faced each other in the 1991 NBA Finals. These special shoes are the same Nike Air Jordan XI sneakers that "His Airness" wore during this emotional reunion contest, which at the time set a cable TV ratings record. The Bulls cruised to a 99-84 win, a common result during their record 72-win season that culminated in June '96 with their fourth title in six years. Jordan went 8-17 from the floor with 17 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists - a pedestrian game by his standards, although his unselfishness on this night allowed Scottie Pippen to torch the Lakers for 30 points. Magic finished with 15 points off the bench in a losing effort. After the game Michael Cooper, an assistant coach for the Lakers during this period, took his son into the Bulls locker room where Jordan kindly signed each shoe and gifted them to a young Michael Cooper II. They come directly from the Coopers.
Nike released the Air Jordan XI in 1996 and MJ wore this style from early in the year all the way through the NBA Finals. He mostly sported the black leather on white canvas Concord colorways featured here. (He did wear the white-on-white Columbia colorways in the 1996 All-Star game, and an alternate black-on-black version during Space Jam and throughout the '96 playoffs.) Tinker Hatfield's design for the Jordan XI featured patent leather for the first time on a basketball shoe. The upper section is constructed of a polymer–coated, thin nylon ballistic mesh material. The collar and tongue are padded for max ankle comfort. The translucent outsole lay atop a full-length carbon fiber shank plate which provided extra spring. The shoes also include a full-length Air-Sole unit for maximum cushioning.
Jordan has signed each of his size 13.5 shoes "To Michael II Best Wishes Michael Jordan" in strong 9-10/10 black Sharpie on the white exterior section between the upper heal and inner ankle. "Quality Basketball Products Inspired by the Greatest Player Ever" is stitched on a black tag inside the upper tongue. "23" and the Jumpman logo adorn the outer heal next to the personalized autograph. The Patent No. on the flag tags inside each shoe matches that of Michael Jordan gamers. Evidence of game use includes creases in both ankle areas, light-to-moderate wear on the soles, several small black smudges along the lower white cushion section outlining each sneaker, a few white paint transfers in the black patent leather, slight off-white sweat discoloration in the white canvas and laces, and a large black smudge mark on the outside of the right shoe next to the ankle. Photos from the 2/2/96 game clearly show Jordan wearing this XI Concord version as does the embedded video footage. One of the finest examples of a Michael Jordan game-worn pair of Nike Air Jordans ever released into the hobby!
Includes a letter of authenticity from Michael Cooper Sr.
Pre-certified by PSA/DNA.