Jordan Brand has a series in which former rivals get their own colorway, and this month’s release is one you have to read twice. The Air Jordan 12 dropping on September 12 is officially called Idols Become Rivals. The story behind it: Ray Allen grew up looking up to Michael Jordan, then later faced him on the court. Great story. Except Allen’s name appears nowhere on the shoe.
What you’re looking at
The colors come straight out of Milwaukee. White tumbled leather covers most of the upper, with the radiating stitching that gives the 12 its shape, while a deep green mudguard with pronounced texture wraps around into the sole. The midsole plate has an iridescent finish that shifts between blue and purple, with JUMPMAN set into it. The eyelets have the same metallic green sheen, the pull tab is black, and the heel section is off-white. The official colorway is Summit White / Gorge Green / Black / Fierce Purple.
Collectors familiar with Allen’s pair from the early 2000s will immediately see where this comes from. They’ll also notice what has been left out. His player exclusive featured custom lettering on the heel; this version has standard Jordan branding. And where his pair used metallic gold, this release opts for iridescent trim. Otherwise, it stays close to the original.
The awkward part
That’s where things get uncomfortable. Jordan Brand is selling the complete story — the idol, the rivalry, the name of the series — but leaves the man himself off the product. That isn’t a minor detail. A PE gets its value from who wore it and when; remove the name and you’re left with a colorway that merely happens to reference something. In the United States, the pair costs $215. At that price, you’re mainly buying the reference.
It’s not the first in the series, either. The Lakers-colored Air Jordan 4 came before it, and more are in the pipeline. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that, but it does make the formula clear: the collection delivers a steady stream of retros wrapped in a storyline, with the story doing the work the colorway alone might not be able to do.
When and how
September 12, via SNKRS and a selection of retailers, with full family sizing. No raffle, no artificial barrier to entry: just a standard wide release. It has already been pushed back once, though — the date was previously set for September 19. Not exactly dramatic, but it’s the kind of change you keep in mind when planning your calendar around a release.
Whether this will have staying power, I couldn’t say. The 12 is a silhouette that takes off with the right colors and sits for months with the wrong ones, and white with green and an iridescent plate could genuinely go either way. If you want to see where this one ranks, place it next to the other Air Jordan 12 colorways or browse more broadly through the Jordan archive.
The question that matters before September 12 is still hanging there, because after that, the market will do the talking for us. Does this deserve a place in your rotation, or are you letting it pass? Grail or bail — let us know below.