{"id":400472,"date":"2014-08-22T13:30:36","date_gmt":"2014-08-22T18:30:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/?p=400472"},"modified":"2022-09-12T15:57:04","modified_gmt":"2022-09-12T20:57:04","slug":"history-air-jordan-1-ko-releases","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/history-air-jordan-1-ko-releases\/","title":{"rendered":"A History of Air Jordan 1 KO Releases"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Air Jordan 1 KO<\/strong> has gone from OG cult classic to regularly retroed release. Composed of canvas (typically), the story, name and function of the original AJKO have always been somewhat of a mystery. Yes, pairs were made in ’80s, yes, they differ in shape and tagging from that of the inline 1s, and yes, that’s about all we know for certain.<\/p>\n

Does the KO stand for knock out? Were they made for boxing or were they still made for basketball? Regardless of the OG AJKO’s title definition or intended sport, the shoe has become a modern favorite for casual wear. Generally speaking, they’re easier to get than the leather, high top retros. They pack their own unique, original flair and beat up better than most retros. As the “Sport Royal” KOs prepare to launch this weekend, we take a look back at all the pairs that have hit so far.<\/p>\n

OGs<\/h2>\n photos via Sneakerpedia and kicks-box<\/a>\n

Released?:<\/strong> 1985?<\/p>\n

Maybe it was the lack of documentation seen in today’s internet era or maybe it was the fact that Nike was still a relatively young company that was taking chances and figuring things out, but not all stories align on the history and heritage of the mysterious AJKO. Some sites today say they released, while others say they were scrapped. Regardless, OG pairs are out there, but they’re incredibly rare. Though all OG AJ1s prove hard to get, OG AJKOs usually serve as top-tier holy grails for longtime collectors.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

White\/Red-Black<\/h2>\n

\"AIR_JORDAN_I_KO_WALLPAPER_1920\"<\/p>\n

Release Date:<\/strong> March 27, 2010<\/p>\n

25 years. That’s how long fans of the AJKO had to wait for a proper retro. While the sneaker internet was making the move from forums to blogs, it’s safe to say readers and contributors to both platforms were thrilled by the news of this release. The only polarizing point of this pair was the aged midsole. Still, sandpaper or paint made this a quick fix for fans that weren’t feeling the vintage look but couldn’t help but cop these.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

White\/Varsity Red<\/h2>\n

\"Air<\/p>\n

Release Date:<\/strong> March 27, 2010<\/p>\n

Upon its first season as a retro, the AJ KO proved it would not be reserved to OG colorways with this still Chicago-esque White\/Varsity Red makeup. Canvas construction and an aged midsole made these read more off-white than the icier white-based retros that would follow.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

“Premium”<\/h2>\n

Release Date:<\/strong> November 12, 2011<\/p>\n

Without canvas is it still a KO? JB proved in 2011 that he who writes the rules makes the rules on the Premium lineup that launched during the holiday season. We can’t really complain though, premium leather, neutral colorways and high top cut made each installment pretty nice.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

“Black Toe”<\/h2>\n

Release Date:<\/strong> June 4, 2012<\/p>\n

“Black Toe” 1s are perhaps the most heralded makeup of all OG AJ 1s. In 2012, Jordan Brand compounded niche nostalgia by placing the storied theme on the mysterious KO silo.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Black\/Red<\/h2>\n

Release Date:<\/strong> June 4, 2012<\/p>\n

The Air Jordan 1 KO Black\/Red retro un-archived another truly rare original. Hard to find pictures of and thus infinitely harder to actually own, the OG from the ’80s would be a jaw dropper in any Sneak Peek<\/em>. In 2012, JB made this style available for all by giving it the retro treatment.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

“Barcelona”<\/h2>\n

Release Date:<\/strong> July 21, 2012<\/p>\n

Perhaps the most creative of all AJKO colorways, the “Barcelona” makeup brought bright shades, gradient graphics and grey canvas to the catalog. This pair was part of the Road to the Gold collection, which celebrated the USA Basketball Team’s journey to the 2012 Olympics.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

“Rivalry” Package<\/h2>\n photo by Foot Locker<\/a>\n

Release Date:<\/strong> March 15, 2014<\/p>\n

There was a time when no one imagined the Air Jordan 1 KO would retro. But comeback as a package? It happened. Pulling from MJ’s historic “First Shot” and JB’s endorsement deal with Georgetown, two collegiate colorways dropped together in one box at Foot Locker House of Hoops locations for $300.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

“Chicago”<\/h2>\n

Release Date:<\/strong> March 15, 2014<\/p>\n

Not feeling the aged midsole on the 2010 drop? The 2014 “Chicago” KOs saw the re-retro of the original in clean fashion. This updated silo packed a slightly rounded shape but otherwise similar styling to the ’85 and ’10 releases.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

“Sport Royal”<\/h2>\n

Release Date:<\/strong> August 23, 2014<\/p>\n

Inspired by the Black\/Royal Air Jordan 1 in color blocking but coinciding with Jordan Brand’s string of “Sport Royal” releases, this pair packs profound nods to OGs while still offering something slightly new.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Air Jordan 1 KO has gone from OG cult classic to regularly retroed release. Composed of canvas (typically), the story, name and function of the original AJKO have always been somewhat of a mystery. Yes, pairs were made in ’80s, yes, they differ in shape and tagging from that of the inline 1s, and yes, that’s about all we know for certain.<\/p>\n

Does the KO stand for knock out? Were they made for boxing or were they still made for basketball? Regardless of the OG AJKO’s title definition or intended sport, the shoe has become a modern favorite for casual wear. Generally speaking, they’re easier to get than the leather, high top retros. They pack their own unique, original flair and beat up better than most retros. As the “Sport Royal” KOs prepare to launch this weekend, we take a look back at all the pairs that have hit so far.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2415,"featured_media":400565,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1232700,3,1225574],"tags":[1225519,1207605,1225452],"cultivate_rss":[],"class_list":{"2":"type-post"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nA History of Air Jordan 1 KO Releases | Snkrs Day<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Get a history of Air Jordan 1 KO releases, highlighting all the retro colorways.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/history-air-jordan-1-ko-releases\/\" \/>\n<link rel=\"next\" href=\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/history-air-jordan-1-ko-releases\/2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A History of Air Jordan 1 KO Releases\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Get a history of Air Jordan 1 KO releases, highlighting all the retro colorways.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/history-air-jordan-1-ko-releases\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Snkrs Day\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/NiceKicks\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-08-22T18:30:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-09-12T20:57:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/files\/2014\/08\/air-jordan-1-ko-history.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"898\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"458\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Ian Stonebrook\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@snkrsday\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@snkrsday\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Ian Stonebrook\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":[\"WebPage\",\"ItemPage\"],\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/history-air-jordan-1-ko-releases\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/history-air-jordan-1-ko-releases\/\",\"name\":\"A History of Air Jordan 1 KO Releases | Snkrs Day\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/history-air-jordan-1-ko-releases\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/history-air-jordan-1-ko-releases\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/files\/2014\/08\/air-jordan-1-ko-history.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2014-08-22T18:30:36+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-09-12T20:57:04+00:00\",\"description\":\"Get a history of Air Jordan 1 KO releases, highlighting all the retro colorways.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/history-air-jordan-1-ko-releases\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/history-air-jordan-1-ko-releases\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/history-air-jordan-1-ko-releases\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/files\/2014\/08\/air-jordan-1-ko-history.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/files\/2014\/08\/air-jordan-1-ko-history.png\",\"width\":898,\"height\":458,\"caption\":\"A History of Air Jordan 1 KO Releases\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/history-air-jordan-1-ko-releases\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"News\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Air Jordans\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/air-jordans\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Air Jordan 1\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/\",\"name\":\"Snkrs Day\",\"description\":\"Sneakers News. 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