Michael Jordan’s Air Jordan 1 Pays Tribute Dear Basketball Letter

Michael Jordan announced his retirement from the NBA three times, and a new edition of the Air Jordan 1 will commemorate the only one that actually held.

The Air Jordan 1 High “Love Letter” is an ode to the open letter addressed to the sport of basketball that Jordan published in 2003 as his final farewell. A well-worn basketball informs the use of plush brown nubuck overlays for the strap and heel. White leather then serves as the base with black suede used for the collar and the rest of the overlays, Swoosh included. A brownish-red is then used for the outsole and insole, while a special box is covered in a basketball print.

Selections from the letter itself are scattered throughout, including the closing line, “With Love and Respect,” on the medial side of the left shoe and a basketball shaped hangtag. The inner-tongue tag manages to squeeze in a longer passage, reading: “Since then, you’ve become much more than just a ball to me. You’ve become more than just a court.”

Jordan published his letter on the Sunday editions of several newspapers four days after playing his final game in the NBA. He’d formally announced his retirement earlier in the season, and the Philadelphia 76ers sent him out in style in their own arena by presenting him with a custom golf cart.

Air Jordan 1 releases, which are expected to seriously slow down in volume next year, are getting especially sentimental this summer. An all-new Air Jordan 1 Low treatment will drop in August with a rose-patterned weave, gold accents and a small Knicks shoutout as a callback to Jordan’s final game at Madison Square Garden as a Chicago Bull.

The Air Jordan 1 High “Love Letter” will release July 2 through the Snkrs app and select third-party retailers and again in August in key cities. Pricing is set at $185.