The 10 Best Air Jordan Retros of 2013

Another year in the books.

With at least five colorways hitting shelves, 2013 was a popular year for the Air Jordan V. One of the more memorable releases for the year was the "Fire Red' colorway. Rocking the home colorway of the Chicago Bulls, the model was an instant favorite for the sneaker crowd, both young and old, who remember MJ dropping a career high 69 points in a pair of Vs back in 1990.

For the Air Jordan IV "Fear Pack," Jordan Brand not only used the insole to deliver the message by inscribing MJ's famous quote: "I'm scared of what I won't become, and you are scared of what I could become.", but also trusted the colorist to get the message across. Starting with a lighter grey on near the midsole, the model slowly went darker and darker as it reached the laces. Quickly going from light to dark, the model shows how fear can quickly sneak up on you. 

Throwing subtleties out of the window, this model literally shed some light on one of Jordan Brand's most iconic silhouettes of all time. This year's “Doernbecher” Jordans was concepted by hospital patient Isaac Arzate and used blacklight ink to highlight words of a poem that Isaac wrote. 

In a year where there were plenty of OG colorways of the Air Jordan V to choose from, the olive green upper and black and red accents of the "Fear Pack" V's kept things moving forward with new storylines. Like the other two kicks in the pack, these were inspired by MJ's famous saying: "I'm scared of what I won't become, and you are scared of what I could become." Thankfully for us, we get to live out the dream when we rock Mike's kicks, and not the nightmare we might have going against him on the court.

No one really knows if it was what drove Mike to be one of the greatest to ever play the game, but the fact that he was cut from his high school team spawned a set of beautifully colored kicks this year. One of the first to hit the scene was the Air Jordan V "Laney". Mostly dressed in white, the varsity royal and varsity maize (a nod to the Laney High Buccaneers) were just what the silhouette needed.

Fear is the great motivator. The great philosopher Snoop Doggiuos Dogg said it a few years back. Whether that's true or not is up to debate, but what is not up for debate was how the Air Jordan III "Fear Pack" was one of the hottest of the year. Colored in night stadium, total orange and Black, the kicks were a dope remix to a classic silhouette.

Released back in 1990, the Air Jordan V "Grape" broke the mold when it comes to colorways. Prior to their release, Nike had focused their efforts on red, black. and white. Who knew that the Charlotte Hornets tie-in would stretch all the way back to the OGs.

Though red and black set the standard when it comes to the colors of the Air Jordan line in 1985, the royal blue and black pair that released that year struck a chord with ballers everywhere. Here we are 25+ year in the future and the shoe commands the same amount of respect and admiration from fans.

Nothing beats the original. Nothing. From the look, to the colorway, to the nostalgia, of the Air Jordan I OG "Black Toe" was arguably one of the best retros of the year.

For years, sneaker purists have requested the original Nike Air logo (circa 1988) be added back to the Air Jordan III instead of the Jumpman logo. Set at a premium price of $200, Nike and the Jordan Brand honored that request to mark the 25-year anniversary of the 1988 NBA Slam Dunk Contest. The kicks caused quite a stir and as of now, there are plenty of requests for a black and cement pair to use the same branding.