My Life through Pics & Kicks: December 2014

Wearing a classic without even knowing it

What's going on shoeheads? Welcome back to another edition of My Life Through Pics & Kicks. Today we got another classic for ya, introducing the Air Jordan III Retro "Infrared 23"! I'll be the first to admit I bought these shoes purely on looks without even know the history of it (which I'll cover later in this post). Now that I know the history behind it, I appreciate this pair even more. The first that comes to mind is its bold design: The HUGE Jumpman logo on the back, the snazzy elephant print, and of course the Jumpman donned on the black tongue. I'm not going to lie, I had a guy look me up and down at the mall TWICE and then asked me about my shoes. I have to tell you, it's kinda weird being on the other side of an up and down stare, but was relieved to know he was only looking at my shoes LOL. These shoes stand out on their own when you wear them, so please check out my pics below!!!

Check out that elephant print.

Love the Infrared accents on this shoe.

Jumpmans on the tongue.

Amazing Jumpmans on the back.

Side profile.

Candid of me wearing the Air Jordan IIIs.

The battle, the commercials, the logo

Like I said earlier, this shoe has a ton of history behind it so sit back and absorb. Supposedly, Michael was becoming unhappy with Nike, and so they brought in an upcoming shoe designer named Tinker Hatfield (who later would design many other Jordans) to come up with a revolutionary shoe. What came out of this collaboration is simply nothing short of a masterpiece. This Jordan shoe was the first to incorporate the visible air unit, as well as stylish accents with the elephant print. Most importantly this was the first Jordan to don the Jumpman logo, which has been forever cemented in Air Jordan lore. Not only were these kicks fresh, Michael was continuing his Mars Blackmon commercials with Spike Lee as part of the Air Jordan III launch, which was a highly popular advertisement campaign for Nike. This revolutionary shoe was created just in time for one of Michael's greatest moments. Please check out the pics below!

One of Tinker's original sketches of the Air Jordan III model.

The original Air Jordan III donned a Nike logo instead of the Jumpman on the back.

Michael dunking on Mars Blackmon (Spike Lee) during a commercial shoot.

Michael can palm Mars.

Love this old school ad.

In 2011, Playboy model Francesca Frigo made a spoof commercial of the Mars Blackmon commercials. Air Jordans never looked so good.

Michael sporting the Fire Reds.

Tongue out = someone is going to get banged on.

Scoring with the Cement Greys on.

All-Star Game, 1988.

Donning the Black Cements.

The 1988 Slam Dunk contest is one of the most controversial and legendary match-ups of all time. After losing to Dominique Wilkins (aka Nique) in 1985, and winning the contest in 1987 (Nique was hurt during that year), the stars were aligned for a powerhouse matchup in 1988 between Michael and Nique. It was what everyone could ask for in a slam dunk contest: raw power, athleticism, and super-star action. Some say it was like a heavyweight boxing match, each side pummeling each other with a punishing blow, only to come back with an even heavier punch. Nique's dunks were simply devastating, but it was Michael who stole the show by winning the contest with a "from the free throwline, double-clutch, kiss your mama goodnight" dunk. A match-up for the ages, and another chapter in the Michael book of hoops. I hope y'all are enjoying these posts. I put my heart and passion into these, and I hope you share, appreciate, but most of all enjoy the magic. Please check out the pics below!

Michael putting on a show.

Chicago loving the show.

Dominque throwing down a devastating dunk off the backboard in the finals.

Michael double clutch reverse dunk in the finals.

Michael double clutch rock the baby dunk in the finals.

Michael showing us how to fly and sealing the contest with a double clutch from the free throw line dunk.

Another angle of the contest-clinching dunk.

2x time champ.

Video of the 1988 Slam Dunk Championship between Dominique and Michael. A definite classic!

Hot Tub Time Machine!

What's going on my shoeheads? I know you all are still recovering from the latest release of the XI Legend Blues in stores this past weekend, but it definitely inspired me to bust out this shoe I copped back in 2006. Introducing to you, the Air Jordan IV "Pure Moneys"! Forgive the quality of these pics as I took these back in 2006, but I thought it was time to debut an all-white shoe for the blog! The IV's definitely have a skater vibe to them, but looking at the style and color of this shoe you definitely know you're dealing with Jordan brand. Sporting metallic sidings, a huge Jumpman logo in the back, and the infamous fat tongues are a must! I loved rocking this shoe, even though it was hard to keep them clean. Unfortunately, I didn't take care of these like I did the rest of my shoes, and so I had to let them go, but please check out my pics below to see them in their glory days!

White on white on white.

Side profile.

Metallic Jumpmans to catch your eye.

Artsy shot.

Before the rings, there was "The Shot"

Michael and the Bulls hadn't won a championship yet. They were beginning to gel together, but hadn't quite gotten there yet. Michael being Michael, was still a dominant force on the team, and that one evening in Cleveland had the IV's on display for everyone to see. On May 7th, 1989, Michael and the Bulls went into Game 5 of the Eastern Conference First Round with their backs against the wall. As you've seen throughout his career, Michael always comes through during the most crucial of moments. With 3 seconds left, down by 1, Michael received the inbound and drove to the hoop, pulled up (and hung in the air for forever), and buried the jumper over Craig Ehlo. Super clutch, ball game. The jumper would be forever be known as "The Shot", and Michael and his Bulls would eventually become the dynasty of the 90's. As real ballers know, championship teams aren't built overnight, and Michael's 44 point, 9 rebound, and 6 assist night was yet another stone set for the foundation of their eventual dynasty. Please see below for pics from that game, and also other times that Michael wore the IV's. Hope ya'll enjoyed this, and please keep on coming back for more heat! Peace.