The 20 Athletes With The Greatest Jordan Player Editions

Notable Player Editions: Air Jordan IX & XI

Was it because he was stuntin' on the hardwood just as well as the turf at Syracuse? Okay, maybe he wasn't that nice, but still McNabb always displayed a different type of athleticism for football player and by always having the Eagles in the thick of things during the post-season it was a no-brainer to crown Philly's other franchise man as a Jordan Brand member with exclusives for the field.

Notable Player Editions: Air Jordan IX & Air Jordan XVIII

We aren't sure why the throwback jerseys were such a big deal back in Akron because LeBron was receiving shipments of personalized kicks on a daily basis from all the big sneaker brands including Jordan. During his senior year he took flight in some sick player edition Jordan XVIIIs and even won the state title in IXs. When he hit the NBA his media day was mostly spent in some exclusive "Blackout" Jordan IXs made to cater to a king.

Notable Player Editions: Air Jordan V & XIII

They said the only thing that would stop Kobe from being the greatest was Michael’s six rings — and Mickael Pietrus guarding him on the perimeter. Pietrus doesn't have the same big name as the rest of the group but his player edition Jordans have owned a few Nike Talk threads. Even if in 20 years you forget the name, you would still grab the Vs.

Notable Player Editions: Air Jordan VI, IX, XI, & XIII

Catch Randy Moss? More likely flat-footed defenders were stuck watching his Jordan XI purple trainers and cleats. Randy Moss changed the game of football, 50-yard touchdown receptions and no-look laterals at a time. With him keeping his image in good shape for the most part, we can’t blame Jordan Brand for keeping the greatest show on turf fresh to death — sorry, St. Louis.

Notable Player Editions: Air Jordan V, XII, & XIII

Another player that was about the Jordan life in college — you remember the moment when Rip cut down the nets in his XIVs. Post-Husky life remained the same, Hamilton’s lankiness and great release made him near impossible to defend on the perimeter and his vice for ill Js made Jordan put him on the squad (even while he traded him away from his Wizards). The thought of Vs in Pistons colors might have haunted Mike in his dreams during the 1990 season, but it was cool of him to let them go on to Hamilton to rock in the D. And now Rip's a Bull — it all comes full circle.

Notable Player Editions: Air Jordan VI, IX, XII, & XIII

His mouth might have been louder than his play at times but in the late '90s and early 2000s not too many players were as feared in the middle as Warren Sapp. Dude had a sixth sense for the play and even at 300+ pounds he was light on his feet with those Beyonce celebration moves. Jordan has always been about top-tier play and personalities that match. During his all-pro seasons, JB knocked out a few ill VIs and XIIIs just for Sapp to terrorize backfields in.

Notable Player Editions: Air Jordan XII, XIII, XVIII, XIX, & XX

GP did his own thing with his "Glove" series which still stands as one of The Swoosh's best creations but after he left Seattle and was looking for a ring Jordan Brand started lacing Payton with some great team color inspired Jordans with the "20" on the side so you knew they were real. The Laker purple and gold XIIs might stand out the most but the murdered-out XIIIs are the best. He also had "Celtics" XIIIs before Ray Allen; but he also had to play with Ricky Davis and Raef LaFrentz. So we'll call that a draw.

Notable Player Editions: Air Jordan III, VI, & XIII cleats

Hate him or love him but you can't deny that TO wasn't one of the best receivers in the game. He has stats that rival some of the all time greats such as Jerry Rice his knack for making the big play on the big stage gave him creditability and his pick of Jordan cleats. The Bengal IIIs might be the illest — too bad Terrell shed more tears then opponents in those.

Notable Player Editions: Air Jordan XII, Air Jordan 2010 & Air Jordan 2011

After a switch from Converse to Jordan Brand you knew before they had D. Wade up and running with his own thing they were going to keep him fresh in some Miami-inspired Jordans. He was the face of the new 2010s, hand selected by Mike himself and they showed him some love with some retro looks as well in the Heat black and red.

Notable Player Editions: Air Jordan II, XII, & XX

It’s hard to believe that Carmelo Anthony just turned 28. The former number-three draft pick (that’s right, remember Darko went second) just put in his ninth year in the league. From high school at national powerhouse Oak Hill Academy, cutting down the nets at Syracuse, and now in the league with his own signature line through Jordan Brand, Melo has repped hard in some dope kicks and been rewarded by Jordan Brand with his own player editions before they set him up with the Melo series.

Notable Player Editions: Air Jordan IV cleats, Air Jordan XI turf trainer & cleats

C.C. was always a beast, but when George Steinbrenner won another bidding war and brought over the left-handed ace Nike started paying more attention to what was on his feet and so did sneaker blogs. You don''t have to love baseball to appreciate the "Space Jam", "Concord", and "Cool Grey" Jordan XI inspired cleats. (We're not gonna talk about his Jordan Fusion cleats, OK?)

Notable Player Editions: Air Jordan V, VIII, XI, XIII, & XXI

Jesus. We’re talking about the alias although you could take the lords name in vein when you see the player exclusives that Ray has been working with since his days in Milwaukee. The Jordan XIII release saw the light of day and caused a few scuffles for a pair but we have to give our nod to the gold XIs – nothing like it.

Notable Player Editions: Air Jordan II, V, IX, XII, XIII, & XXIII

Bibby left school after his sophomore year, declaring for the NBA Draft, signing with Jordan Brand and — oh yeah, the Vancouver Grizzlies. Since then he has been rocking some official kicks with an arsenal of lowtop PEs that might even put Marcus Jordan to shame.

Notable Player Editions: Air Jordan VIII, IX, & XVI

A new school of kids were keeping the Jordan name strong into the 2000s, including Clippers duo Darius Miles and Quentin Richardson. The XVIs were released on MJ’s 38th birthday and D Miles got hooked up with a pair displaying his name down the side. But it was the IXs that he got while a member of the Cavaliers that remain high atop many grail PE lists.

Notable Player Editions: Air Jordan II, V, IX, & XI

He was the man amongst men even amongst an All-American crew in Kentucky and when he hit the league Michael and the brand took notice. Anderson made a few stops in the league and although you may not be 100 percent sure which team to match him with, you’ll always remember the PE Jordan XI lows that looked quick and were functionally dope on the court — sicker than your average.

Notable Player Editions: Air Jordan V, VIII, XII, & XXIII

One of the top point guards in the NBA, Chris Paul has always been in the spotlight. He was a McDonald’s All-American in high school, an All-American at Wake Forest, and then he bolted for the NBA where he quickly became an All-Star and signed to the exclusive club called Jordan Brand. Fresh into the league CP3 got hit with the player editions, the white and red he rocked on retro night made the XXIIIs look rockable. And while he sticks mostly to his own signature joints on the court, he always gets the PE retros on the low. We see you.

Notable Player Editions: Air Jordan XI baseball & football cleats & Air Jordan XIII cleats

No half-steppin', only high-steppin', six into the end zone off a crazy INT or kick return — no one did it quite as flashy as Prime Time. Take the influence he had on football and then throw in the fact that dude was stealing home and hitting home runs the other 165 hours a week. Sanders was the epitome of hard work and everything Jordan Brand stood for. His Jordan XI cleats might be the best non-basketball Jordan shoe of all time.

Notable Player Editions: Air Jordan II, IX, XIII, XIV, & XX

Chi-town representative, cold game on and off the court — Quentin Richardson might not have put up Jordan-like numbers, but he carried himself the same way. When Darius Miles and Q entered the league, showcased the headband fist bump, and rocked the XVII commercial with Gang Starr you knew it was a wrap — Jordan Brand for life. The IIs might not be a favorite amongst sneakerheads, but the Clippers colorway actually made them look hot. When he tweeted photos of his Orlando Blue XIIIs, applications for equipment manager went out quick. The white and red Jordan IX PEs, you know you put in a bid on eBay. And the Knicks and Suns colorways popped, too. Q's name may not ring out like the other future Hall of Famers on this list but the collection is tough to top.

Notable Player Editions: Air Jordan III, VII, & VIII

It was cool to see young Kob' do his thing and help adidas evolve into a competitive brand, but when all the Jordan comparisons hit it was insane to see him throwing down crazy dunks and hitting fadeaways in some player-edition IIIs. During Kobe's brief stint as a sneaker free agent, Jordan Brand laced him with player exclusives of the Jordan greats and executed the Lakers purple and gold perfectly on each kick.

Notable Player Editions: Air Jordan III Golf Cleat, Air Jordan V, Air Jordan IX Cleat, Air Jordan XI #45, Air Jordan XI Low, & Air Jordan XIII

Of course the man himself had some shit that never hit shelves — in fact, the argument can be made that technically all of his sneakers were player editions. It's no secret that Nike was willing to do and make about anything to keep Mike happy. The Jordan Vs with the number stitched onto the side and white laces that inspired the "Bin" Vs were essentially the first Air Jordan PEs, and the baseball or golf cleats — just nothing like Js. And think about this: That's only the ones we know about.