The release of the Air Jordan 12 GS University Blue (shameless plug: check out our launch page for all the latest information) comes with a lot of emotional baggage. On one side, it’s great that Jordan Brand is releasing genuine heat exclusively in kid’s and women’s sizes so that they have something to brag about. On the other side, there’s a lot of sad dudes out there who have been waiting on a retro of this colorway for a long time since they first debuted during the 2003-04 NBA season on the feet of Carmelo Anthony. And then there’s my side, a fan of the Air Jordan 12 and the University Blue color but wouldn’t really consider himself a ‘Melo guy (love the M9s though).
As the original Jordan Brand “student”, Anthony has been fortunate enough to not only receive a signature shoe but also a collection of Air Jordan player exclusives that would make any Jordan stan tear up. Early on in his career, he rocked mostly Denver Nuggets-themed Jordans like the Air Jordan 2 and Air Jordan 20, but the ones that always caught my eyes were his Air Jordan 12s. Since the 12s are my second favorite pair of Js, I was pumped to hear that we would get a retail release of the same pairs – sans any Nuggets gold – he wore on the court. Sadly, this was during my college years so even if I did want a pair, I wasn’t always in a position to afford them. Education and beer money got in the way.
So I’ve waited for another shot at 12s in University Blue ever since and in that time, we’ve seen other University Blue colorways (I also missed out on the Black Nubuck 12s) pale imitators (I despise the Gamma Blue 12s) and numerous ‘Melo Air Jordan 12 player exclusives pop up either through the man himself or on sneaker blogs and eBay. In this edition of Sneaker Grails, here’s a look back at a handful of ‘Melo PEs that would be nice to own.
The post Sneaker Grails: Carmelo Anthony’s Air Jordan 12 Player Exclusives appeared first on KicksOnFire.com.