If you’ve read one of our numerous Jordan stories on here, chances are you already know how much of a GOAT Michael Jordan is. The 6x NBA champion is widely regarded as one of the best, if not, the best basketball player to have graced the NBA. In his playing time, he’s also come to be known by several nicknames, such as Air Jordan, His Airness, and Black Cat. Though out of all his nicknames, Black Cat might have the most heartwarming backstory.

Back in 1997 while the legendary Tinker Hatfield was working on the Air Jordan 13, he modelled the silhouette after MJ’s stealthy yet killer play style, which naturally gave rise to the birth of the Air Jordan 13 “Black Cat”. When presented to MJ, His Airness was emotionally surprised as to how Hatfield knew about his “secret nickname”, the Black Cat. It was what players from both the league and his alma mater used to call him. While it was a complete coincidence, the connection was made and as they say, the rest was history.

Fast forward to present day, the Black Cat has seen a variety of applications on different silhouettes, most notably on the Air Jordan 4. While this upcoming Jordan offering doesn’t necessarily relate to its Black Cat predecessors in terms of color scheme, it does indeed bear MJ’s iconic nickname.

The kids exclusive Nike Air Jordan 1 Low “Black Cat” comes dressed in a bright volt, black and white color palette. Construction comes in a leather and mesh mix, with leather adorning the uppers while mesh sits on the tongue. Notably, claw marks scratch the Swoosh as well as the heel, giving rise to the name of the colorway.

Similar to another kids exclusive Jordan offering in summer, the Air Jordan 3 GS “Hide and Seek”, the appearance of a cartoon animal is used on the “Black Cat” as well. Coming as a detachable hangtag, a Black Panther’s face is depicted on the hang tag, a calling to the shoe’s namesake.

This upcoming Air Jordan 1 Low GS “Black Cat” will make its way to Nike and select retailers come summer at a RRP of US$95. Stay tuned as we’ll bring you more release details as soon as we get them.

In other sneaker-related news, check out the brand new Nike silhouette set to debut on Air Max Day.