Vintage Air Jordan 2 Prototype Surfaces at Auction

Jordan Brand are currently putting a lot of effort into making the Air Jordan 2 cooler than it ever has been, but things could have turned out very differently 35-plus years ago. An unreleased prototype version of the polarising model has emerged at auction, offering a glimpse into how drastically the AJ2 changed before it hit shelves.

This prototype looks more like an incremental update to the Air Jordan 1 than the final Air Jordan 2 people are familiar with today. Sneaker nerds will immediately identify components like the AJ1 outsole and Big Nike midsole. Some elements did eventually make the final cut, namely the plastic ghillie-style eyelets and all-leather construction.

The unique feature of this pair is the branding, which fuses the Nike wordmark with the Jordan ‘Wings’ logo that was used before the introduction of the Jumpman silhouette on the Air Jordan 3.

Jordan Brand have a white and red pair of these prototypes in their archive, so the provenance of these shoes is reliable. Not to mention the fact that this pair was sourced from the estate of a former Nike employee.

Bidding is open right now on Heritage Auctions and is currently set at a very reasonable $525. However, that number might end up with a few more zeroes when the auction closes in two weeks.