Air Jordan 13

For the 1997-1998 season, designer Tinker Hatfield inspired by Michael's cat-like play drew up the AJ XIII. (He didn't realize Michael's friends had already nicknamed him "The Black Cat.")

The hologram on the upper resembled the eye of a panther and the outsole had a paw-like design. The XIII featured heel and forefoot Zoom Air, a Phylon midsole and podular tooling, making it one of the most comfortable Air Jordans in the series. A carbon fiber midfoot shank and asymmetrical collar were also featured on the XIII.

The Air Jordan XIII was originally released in five mid colorways and two low colors. Jordan wore the AJ XIII throughout the 1997-1998 season and into the playoffs (until he introduced the AJ XIV in the 1998 NBA Finals against the Jazz). Michael wore the white-based colorways of the XIII at home and the black-based versions on the road throughout the season.

The AJ XIII was brought back in 10 colorways in 2004 and 2005. The season MJ wore the AJ XIII, he was voted to his 12th All-Star game (he was again the MVP), won his record-setting 10th straight league scoring title and was named first team All-NBA and first team All-Defense. The Bulls beat the Jazz to win their third consecutive title, giving MJ his sixth NBA Championship and sixth NBA Finals MVP award.