Air Jordan 11 "Space Jam" Returning In 2026, Sneakerheads React
Air Jordan 11 “Space Jam” Returning In 2026 Gives Sneakerheads Reason To Cry Tears Of Joy
Jordan Brand‘s always got heat dropping throughout the year, but the winter releases are downright the most anticipated. And that’s for good reason, because December always brings an Air Jordan 11 release.
Sometimes, it’s a contemporary take on the classic, offering up a new colorway, and other times, Jordan Brand digs into its vault for a classic.
According to @ZSneakerheadz, thankfully, next year the powers that be at Nike will lean into nostalgia and bring back arguably the most iconic Jordan 11 colorway of all time: the Air Jordan 11 “Space Jam.”
Back in 1995, when the Jordan 11 first released, they were only available in the Concord, Columbia, and Bred colorways. It wasn’t until the ’95 NBA playoffs that Jordan began wearing what became known as “Space Jams.” At the time, they were just a Player Exclusive colorway that looked eerily similar to the Breds, save for the red outsole being swapped for an icy clear one and a Concord jumpman.
But after the Chicago Bulls were booted in the second round of the playoffs by the Orlando Magic, Jordan (fresh off retirement) began shooting the film Space Jam in the offseason. That’s when he started to rock that PE colorway, which is why they eventually took on the film’s nickname.
Still, they’d remain unreleased until 2000. At that point, hype had grown so feverish that the bum rush to cop on the Wednesday release led many kids to skip school and irate parents, prompting Jordan Brand to eventually change all release dates to Saturday.
They’d go into hiding again until 2009, when they were released in December, kicking off Jordan Brand’s annual holiday Jordan 11 release.
Then, for the 20th anniversary of Space Jam in 2016, Jordan would drop them again in near-OG form, dubbed the “Remastered” version. They came equipped with a wider body, a slightly higher cut, and thicker patent leather sitting atop the all-black ballistic nylon upper.
The release proved to be a hit, with Nike showering it with praise during an earnings call in 2017.
“The top performer, however, was the ‘Space Jam’ [Air Jordan] 11s. And when I say ‘top performer,’ I don’t just mean in Q3. The ‘Space Jam’ 11 was the largest and most successful shoe launch in the history of Nike. This speaks not only to the obvious demand for our products, but also our ability to connect greater numbers of consumers worldwide to the products they covet,” said then-Nike Brand president Trevor Edwards, according to WWD.
Now, some 10 years later, Nike’s ready to create magic. In the meantime, this year sneakerheads will have to make do with the “Gamma Blue” 11s, which drop Dec. 13.
See sneakerheads’ reaction to the classic colorway rereleasing below.
