The Air Jordan 12 was released in 1996-97 and were the first Air Jordan shoes in the Jordan Brand line.

In this season, Jordan lost the MVP by the narrowest margin in NBA history to Karl Malone as he helped lead his Jazz to the NBA Finals only to fall to Jordan and the Bulls. Jordan wore the Air Jordan 12’s while he took home his fifth NBA title and fifth NBA Finals MVP.

Love for Japan

The Air Jordan 12 featured something very unique in terms of design. The Air Jordan 12 upper was stitched to resemble the Japanese Rising Sun flag. The Air Jordan 12 also was the most durable shoes out of the whole Jordan shoe series. In addition to this, the Air Jordan 12 provides the most ankle support which was great for keeping Jordan on the floor for the whole season.

Jordan Brand is Born In September, 1997, Nike decided to launch a new sub-brand of Nike called Jordan Brand. The Air Jordan 12 was the first Jordan shoe to be part of the Jordan Brand collection and also did not have the Nike logo anywhere on the shoe - not even the insole. The shoes did come in a Nike box, but these were the last.