20 Years Later, This Ice-Cold Jordan 12 Is Still Immensely Clean
We're only a few days into the new year, and the Jordan Brand has teased several heaters to mark its 40th anniversary in 2025. Next up, the Nike brand resurrects the incredibly clean Air Jordan 12 "Melo" sneakers for a well-deserved comeback.
As the name suggests, the Jordan 12 "Melo" was initially designed for now-retired basketball star Carmelo Anthony during his rookie season with the Denver Nuggets. Although the team's jerseys may look a little different nowadays, back in the early 2000s, the Nuggets' uniforms were light blue, white, and gold, the same colors showcased on Melo's admirable Jordan 12s.
As such, the "Melo" 12s are easily one of the best uses of Nike's beloved "University Blue" colorway, next to those blue-tiful Jordan 1s and Jordan 4 sneakers.
And, as for the revived Melo 12's design, the sneaker is pretty much the classic reborn. The retro release largely resembles the ice-cold Jordan 12s from 2004 with hardly anything changed. The only real notable variation is the eyelets, which look more silver than the gold seen on Anthony's player edition shoes
Nike waved its magic wand and eventually turned Anthony's once-exclusive Jordan 12s into an official drop during the early 2000s.
However, the forthcoming re-launch will mark the first re-release of the shoe in 21 years. Crazy!!!
But better late than never, especially for Jordan fans starved for some the of the truly classic but utterly exclusive colorways, like the famously rare one worn by Rui Hachimura.
And when are they dropping, you may ask? The Nike Jordan 12 "Melo" sneaker is expected to release (again) in May at Nike's website and various elite Swoosh stockists.
Official looks at the shoe have already rolled in, so who knows? Maybe we'll get an early spring gift of Melo Jordans.
C'mon, true believers!
