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It’s the most wonderful time of the year for sneakerheads. The end-of-year release slate is always stacked with hotter drops than the rest of the calendar (we’ve already seen the return of the fabled Air Jordan 1 ‘Chicago’), and it’s anchored by what’s become one of the most beloved annual traditions in the sneaker scene: the holiday Air Jordan 11 drop. It returned this weekend, and while it wasn’t in a colorway Michael Jordan ever laced up on court, it was every bit as rooted in the brand’s history as one would expect.
There’s no silhouette Jordan Brand is more protective of than the 11, and rightfully so—it’s one of the the consensus greatest Air Jordan silhouettes of all time. Accordingly, the Air Jordan 11 receives limited (if any) drops throughout the year. The hype is saved for a grand-scale release that usually takes place on or around the second weekend of December. Over time the holiday Jordan 11 has become not only one of the most anticipated drops of the year but also the one with the largest volume for the brand—there are often record-breaking numbers of units sold, making one of the most popular sneakers of the year also accessible for most anybody who’s willing to open the SNKRS app at the right moment (and maybe enter an in-store raffle or two just to be safe). The brand seems to break its own records every year, too. Since the 2018 rerelease of the all-time great Concord colorway, each Air Jordan 11 drop has outsold the last. Resale sites also tend to see the shoe selling at record rates, with last year’s Cool Grey 11 drop instantly cementing itself as the most popular shoe of all time on StockX.
The holiday 11 buzz tends to hit a fever pitch when the drop is a retro of a colorway Jordan laced up on-court, the worst instance being the 2011 rerelease of the Concord 11s. Riots broke out nationwide as sneakerheads attempted to secure themselves a pair of the coveted kicks. These days, with the rise of app-based sneaker releases, the drama is usually confined to SNKRS crashes and bots infiltrating raffles.
This year’s installment is the Air Jordan 11 “Cherry Red,” a release that understands a new colorway is no reason to overcomplicate things. The shoe’s upper consists of the innovative ballistic mesh that made the shoe a performance revelation when Jordan first laced them up. The mesh is in a simple white, with the iconic patent leather stripe around the shoe bringing a splash of red to the silhouette.
If you’re wondering why this shoe may look familiar despite being a new colorway, don’t worry, you aren’t too far off. Back in 2001 the brand released a near-identical colorway for the Jordan 11 low, a colorway we saw return to shelves back in 2016. It’s one of the more popular editions of the Jordan 11 Low, so it’s no surprise to see it applied to the traditional silhouette after all these years. Jordan never laced the highs or lows up on-court, but you could be forgiven for assuming he did—it’s no mistake that the red detailing calls to mind the Chicago Bulls’ colors.
It also bears a strong resemblance to a PE donned a few years back by Jordan Brand ambassador (and recent Celtics secret weapon) Blake Griffin. Griffin donned a pair of Jordan 11s with the same patent leather and inner lining detailing of the Cherry Reds, though his were a few shades darker so as to match the signature colors of his alma mater, the University of Oklahoma. PEs like Griffin’s don’t tend to get general releases but the Cherry Reds are a pretty great substitute for anybody looking to rep the Sooners this holiday season.
Over the weekend the Cherry 11s sold out instantly through retailers; as of today, some 25,000 pairs have changed hands on StockX (and for only $70 or so above retail price). We’ll have to wait until Nike’s next quarterly earnings reports to see just how big an impact the shoe made, but if history is any indicator expect a new record or two to be set.
