Price: $65

Collection: DNA Archive

Location: Beaverton, Oregon

Style Code: 4281

Statement: THE ONE THAT STARTED IT ALL

Details: It could be said that Michael Jordan was the genesis of basketball as we know it today. Throughout a fiery and storied career, the tireless MJ overcame his hurdles, soaring above challenge after challenge to realize the unexpected. Along the way, he redefined basketball's relationship to style, the sport’s connection to youth counter-culture and the game’s creative potential. Like Jordan himself, his eponymous footwear arrived with a bang, sharing its namesake’s tradition-breaking bravado. A black and red colorway violated the league’s uniform policy, earning a stern letter from league officials and generating a $5,000 fine each time the player wore the shoes on court. It is with this brazen charisma that the Air Jordan lineage was born.

Price: $100

Collection: DNA Archive

Location: Beaverton, Oregon

Style Code: 4361

Statement: THE JOURNEY OF JORDAN BEGINS WITH SIGHTS SET HIGH

Details: With the introduction of the Air Jordan II comes a new era in footwear. On the heels of Michael Jordan’s masterful entry into the game, and with calculated precision, the AJ II laid the visionary foundation for a long and prosperous footwear dynasty. Made in Italy, with faux lizard skin, sleek lines and no swoosh, the shoe was an elegant design that added sophistication to MJ’s soaring style. Throughout 1986/1987, Jordan scored a league record 23 points in a row on his way to professional basketball’s second-ever 3,000-point season.

Price: $100

Collection: DNA Archive

Location: Beaverton, Oregon

Style Code: 4365

Statement: THE BEGINNING OF AN ERA AND THE ARRIVAL OF AN ICON

Details: With MJ’s second slam dunk contest win, this time wearing AJ III White Cements, came an inspiring and memorable image of flight. And with it, another icon is born — the Jumpman. Here, and with the help of his MVP nomination and a certain Mars Blackmon, Michael Jordan and his sleek footwear are shuttled to fame. What is now one of the sneaker world’s most notable silhouettes was brought to life with an architect’s keen eye. Tinker Hatfield, the auspicious name behind much of the Air Jordan franchise, was the visionary behind this classic. At the request of MJ, Hatfield developed the now iconic elephant print.

Price: $110

Collection: DNA Archive

Location: Beaverton, Oregon

Style Code: 4363

Statement: ON A TRAJECTORY ALL HIS OWN, JORDAN PIONEERS A ROAD TO SUCCESS

Details: Proving his preeminent athletic prowess and distinctive style, Jordan closed the 1988/89 season with one of the game’s most notable plays. With 6 seconds left in game 5 against Cleveland, MJ sinks “the shot”, a dexterous, buzzer-beating move that continued to propel MJ along on his awe-inspiring journey. The Air Jordan IV was the first global market release of the franchise. Another first, the shoe appeared in Spike Lee’s film Do the Right Thing, transcending the game of basketball to make a significant impact on pop culture. All eyes were on Jordan as he continued to rise.

Price: $125

Collection: DNA Archive

Location: Beaverton, Oregon

Style Code: 4281

Statement: PUSHING THROUGH THE NOISE, A FIGHTER RISES

Details: In his 1989 — 1990 season, it was clear that MJ was better than ever. Setting a points per game personal record, he drained 69 points against Cleveland. He hit 92 three-pointers, compared to only 68 in all prior seasons combined. Every aspect of MJ’s game was flawless, but it was his dogfight-like flight that separated him from every other player on the planet. Tinker Hatfield took inspiration from Jordan’s biting style and, likening it to an American WWII fighter plane, he designed the Air Jordan V with shark-tooth shapes on the midsole. Paired with a clear outsole, the shoe a imbued a ferocity reminiscent of its relentless muse.

Price: $125

Collection: DNA Archive

Location: Beaverton, Oregon

Style Code: 4391

Statement: VICTORY VALIDATES THE WARRIOR’S DEDICATION

Details: During the 1990–91 season, in the face of a cool adversity from their long-standing Detroit rivals, the Bulls stayed strong to advance to The Finals for the first time ever. There, Jordan’s mid-air elegance was put on full display. And it was while wearing a pair of Air Jordan VIs that Michael Jordan claimed his first championship title. The design of the AJ VI silhouette was famously inspired by MJ’s German sportscar. It’s very essence conveyed speed and class, laden with touches like a neoprene sleeve, a translucent rubber sole and visible air. As if to validate these design decisions, the AJ VI could be found on the feet of several of pop culture’s iconic figures during its debut year.

Price: $125

Collection: DNA Archive

Location: Beaverton, Oregon

Style Code: 130014-101

Statement: THE SPIRIT OF JORDAN GOES GLOBAL

Details: The Air Jordan VII was the shoe worn by MJ on his way to becoming a international icon. Not only did he repeat as a NBA champion, Finals MVP and MVP during the regular season, he also led the USA to a gold medal at the 1992 summer games in Barcelona. As MJ’s prominence rose, the AJ VII steered the Air Jordan line in a new direction. In an effort to distinguish Air Jordan from Nike as a whole, the shoe saw two daring omissions by design — exterior Nike branding and a visible Air window. Foreshadowing even bigger changes to come, the Air Jordan line now began to be marketed separately from Nike Basketball.

Price: $125

Collection: DNA Archive

Location: Beaverton, Oregon

Style Code: 130169-040

Statement: JORDAN DOMINATES THE FIELD AND LEAVES HIS MARK

Details:The Chicago Bulls were just the third team history to claim three straight titles, and MJ was the first player ever to capture Finals MVP in 3 consecutive seasons. Strapped into his AJ VIIIs, he claimed his third straight championship and solidified a reputation for being unstoppable. The 1993 release of the Air Jordan VIII culminated the end of the first epoch of Michael Jordan’s career and sneaker line. Featuring a bold, strapped-up design and a chenille tongue graphic, the Air Jordan VIII would prove to be a distinctly ’90s sneaker, now synonymous with the era in which it was born.

Price: $125

Collection: DNA Archive

Location: Beaverton, Oregon

Style Code: 130182-100

Statement: PROVING THAT THE GAME WILL NEVER REALLY END

Details: After three consecutive years as the league's champion, MJ left the hardwood — his first of three total retirements. But his hiatus from one game didn’t hinder his athletic vision. Jordan took to the baseball diamond instead, playing a single season in the minor leagues. Neither did this professional pivot stop the release of the Air Jordan IX. His status as an international icon inspired a multilingual homage to his attributes on the sole, including words like independence, freedom, athletic, and force.