Air Jordan 9 “Powder Blue”: Sneaker Release Date, Price, Where To Buy

Are you feeling the Madness, as brackets have already stated to be busted (looking at you, Kentucky!) Well, if you are and you’re a fan of the UNC Tar Heels, Jordan Brand has the perfect shoe for you!

The Air Jordan 9 returns on Saturday for the first time since 2010 in a UNC-inspired Powder Blue colorway for a retail price of $210.

The Air Jordan 9 was the only model of the original 1-14 run NOT to be worn by MJ on the court as a Bull. The shoe debuted while Jordan was in the midst of his first retirement, thus he actually wore them as a Birmingham Baron rather than a Chicago Bull. Although it should be noted the Air Jordan 9 is the model that MJ is rocking his statue outside the United Center.

To help market the Air Jordan 9 with MJ off the court, Nike, in addition to the Spike Lee commercial linked above, turned to Steve Martin to investigate a number of Jordan lookalikes suddenly popping up, including the mysterious “Johnny Kilroy.”

The Air Jordan 9 celebrated the globalization of basketball, which came about in part thanks to Michael’s efforts as part of the Dream Team at the 1992 Olympics. The shoe features several languages on the outsole, as well as the Jumpman logo in a globe on the back heel. On most pairs, Jordan’s No. 23 appears below the Jumpman globe logo, but it should be noted that it did not appear on the Powder Blues when they first dropped in 1994. And as a result, they don’t appear on this drop either.

In addition to the globalization nods listed above, the Air Jordan 9’s leather upper with in many cases a nubuck rand was a bit more back to basics than the outlandish Air Jordan 8 that preceded it. The shoe also featured a one-pull speed lacing system as well as an inner bootie, which carried over from the Air Jordan 7 and Air Jordan 8. Similiar to those prior two models, the shoe also has no visible air unit.

The colorway releasing on Saturday was an OG colorway from 1994 and famously was worn by MJ in a UNC uniform in an ad for Champs Sports. The upper is made of what Jordan Brand is calling a Summit White leather, with a leather rand taking the place of nubuck that is often found on other colorways. The polyurethane midsole is in that UNC-inspired powder blue, while the tongue and inner bootie are black. The Jumpman globe logo is in that same powder blue with a black trim, and as noted above has no No. 23 underneath it. The shoe features an off-white, or Summit White, outsole matching the upper. It should be noted that the great Chris from the WearTesters YouTube channel noted that the materials are quite nice, but the leather is a bit stiff so be prepared to break them in a little bit and don’t expect them to ever get super soft.

This UNC colorway of the Air Jordan 9 last released in 2010 and currently has a $385 average sale price on StockX based on 46 sales, good for a 123% price premium. It’s hard to say whether these will sell out fast, but they do look to be a very good representation of this OG colorway from 1994. So, best of luck to all looking to pick up a pair!

To see more of this month’s releases, check out our release date calendar.