These days, Air Jordan player exclusives are in abundance — some of them even end up getting retail releases — but that wasn't always the case.
Long before the days of guys like CP3 and Melo, and even further back, before PEs for players like Kobe Bryant and Mike Bibby, exclusives were reserved for His Airness himself. Now, thanks to Todd Krevanchi of the Brannock blog, we're getting a trip down memory lane with a rare glimpse at the first ever Michael Jordan PEs.
As the story goes, Jordan was playing in the North Carolina Pro Alumni basketball game in September of 1986 when be broke out the first of its kind PE in the form of these Carolina blue-accented Air Jordan IIs.
This particular colorway bore a strong resemblance to the O.G. "White/Black/Red" Bulls makeup, with Carolina blue taking place of the red at the heel. But these weren't the only PEs worn by M.J. during this time period.
The following June, Jordan played in the Collegiate Legends Classic, which saw North Carolina and UCLA's alumni square off. For this contest, Jordan opted for a pair of Air Jordan II Lows, which he had grown to prefer after wearing the model throughout the NBA season. Although pictures of this particular PE are scarce, you can watch the white and Carolina blue kicks in action here.
For the full story behind both of these historic PEs, head over to Kicks on Fire.
