To say that the 1991-1992 season was indeed special for Michael Jordan would be an egregious understatement.  For starters, the Chicago Bulls clinched a second straight NBA title by beating up on Clyde "The Glide" Drexler and the Portland Trailblazers, 4-2.

What we all remember of course, from Game 1 of that series, is MJ drilling six three-pointers while shrugging his shoulders as if to suggest that he was having a lucky night.

MJ, lucky?  Right.

Following the NBA Finals, Mike joined the 1992 Barcelona Olympics "Dream Team" that had fellow legends such as Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, John Stockton, Karl Malone, David Robinson and ironically enough, Clyde Drexler.  Along with runningmate Scottie Pippen, MJ became the first player to win both an NBA ring and Olympic gold medal in the same year.  Another indelible image we have of His Airness is when he's walking the streets of Barcelona, Spain only to stumble upon a mega size poster of himself hugging the side of a building.  Through all of the year's success, Michael was doing his thing in the Nike Air Jordan VII.

Constructed of either leather or nubuck, depending on the colorway, the Air Jordan VII's design was inspired by tribal art from West Africa and Afropop.  Tinker Hatfield also employed Nike's Huarache technology, giving the shoe a form fit that delighted wearers like no pair of J's before.  Another first was the absence of an external "NIKE AIR" branding as Hatfield supposedly felt that the Jumpman logo could carry the kicks without any aesthetic aid from Nike.  You also won't find any soles that yellow over time or Air Sole windows on these sneakers as well.  The VII's were given the nickname "Hares", given the TV ads that featured Bugs Bunny, a character that would later star with MJ in the legendary Space Jam movie.  Yes, I said legendary.

By this point, as evidenced by the absolute chaos Mike caused amongst fans in Barcelona, he was truly a global superstar athlete.  You could even say that he was the first of his kind, transcending basketball and sports into a realm all his own.  It's a rather amazing feat considering the fact that the Internet had yet to be such an integral part of our lives and the world's overall stream of available information.  To globalize the game and his brand in the early 90's as he did, you really have to take your hat off to MJ.

source: www.nike.com/jumpman23/historyofflight, wikipedia.org

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