Air Jordan Retro 13 Review

Air Jordan 13 "He Got Game" vs "Flint Grey"

6/19/2015

The Air Jordan 13, or XIII, is the 13th signature shoe worn by MJ, specifically in the 1997/98 season for the Chicago Bulls.

Jordan debut the 14's late in the playoffs instead of finishing the season in the 13's, stealing some of the potential history of this shoe. Regardless this shoe still remains a classic, top tier basketball shoe for its design, unmatched cushioning, and distinctive shapes that can be recognized from afar.

This shoe featured the first ever distinctive hologram logo (with a Jumpman and 23 inside) on the heal of the shoe, intended to resemble the iridescent eyes of a black cat, and the out soul appropriately resembles a large cat paw in many ways.

Designer: Tinker Hatfield
Colors shown on left: White/Black/True Red AKA "He Got Game" AKA "Black Toe" AKA "XIII OG"
Colors shown on right: White/French Blue/Flint Grey/University Blue AKA "Flint" AKA "Flint Grey"

Both shoes are constructed of premium tumbled leather and suede. The upper on the Jordan 13 "He Got Game" color way features tumbled leather while and a cloth upper with a dot pattern is featured on the "Flint Grey" version (and the Bred version). Using different materials to separate unique color ways of the same signature shoe has become very common and this was one of the first good examples of that concept.

The "He Got Game" was last retroed in 2013 and the "Flint" was last retroed in 2010.

HOW TO SPOT A FAKE JORDAN 13:

All the colors on the bottom should be perfectly shaped as seen above, fake Jordan 13's soles have dyed/painted bottoms that are typically sloppy and the shapes have multiple imperfections from being painted outside the lines.

Also the holograms are a dead giveaway....make sure the hologram is holographic.