Respect the past, create the future. Nike SB pays tribute to a classic.
“I want my own Jordan.”
When Paul Rodriguez said precisely this to the SB design team back in 2005, the statement was met with a reaction best characterized as equal parts stoke and apprehension. We knew the yielded fruit would undoubtedly become the stuff of legend… if only we could get it made. The fact is that collaborations like this don’t come along every day. There have only been a select handful of non-Jordan shoes to bear the iconic Jumpman logo in its vast 30+ year history. And throwing the trademark AJ elephant print into the mix as well? Needless to say, our work was cut out for us.
Jordan isn’t known to take their collaborative partners lightly so it’s a true testament to the steadfast style and status of the one we call “P-Rod” that this proper piece of footwear flare came to be back in the day. A true fan since day one, multiple facets of P-Rod’s own signature releases have taken inspiration from the legendary basketball franchise over the years, most notably the 2005 Tinker Hatfield-designed special edition P-Rod 1. A holy grail for collectors from Nike SB’s early days.
Fast forward a decade later and in celebration of Nike SB’s 10 years of Paul Rodriguez, we are reinventing one of our most historic collaborations with an updated tribute that mixes it up with the most cutting-edge technology in modern footwear. Featuring the best of both SB and Air Jordan, all the details of the classic original are back and accounted for. The elephant print, the Jumpman logo, the tip-of-the-hat homage style perforations… all resting comfortably atop a P-Rod 9 Elite Outsole. Aces.
Welcome to the modern era.
The Paul Rodriguez 9 Elite QS hits Nike.com on December 19th.
Find a store here.
