2022 marks the 30th anniversary of the Air Jordan 7, the celebratory tour culminating in the recent release of the Dream Team tribute, Trophy Room collaboration. With renewed attention on the storied pair, the Jumpman has one more “AJ 7” bullet in the chamber to shoot off before closing out the year.

The neutral tones may be reminiscent of the “Bordeaux” colorway released in 1992, but contrary to its predecessor, the titular “Black Olive” carries more hits of color through the presence of Cherrywood Red and Chutney Taxi on the tongue, midsoles and out, as well as the heel tab.

As with many Jumpman classics, the pair was designed by the Michael Jordan of sneaker design himself, Tinker Hatfield. Here, the African tribal artwork he takes his cues from can be seen on the scumbling on the tongue in yellow, the mountain-reminiscent linings on the sole unit, and the geometric imprint on the heel tab. The black overlays does well to lend these motifs more attention. For one, it frames the Jumpman logo on the lateral collar, but it also lets the Nike branding on the heel stand out from the dark background.

The Nike Air Jordan 7 Retro “Black Olive” is scheduled for release on SNKRS on 17 December with a RRP of US$200.

While the AJ 7 may close off the year nicely for the Jumpman, the Air Jordan 3 “White Cement Reimagined” will open it with a bang.