When Jordan Brand's signature athlete Carmello Anthony was drafted by the Denver Nuggets the sneaker world knew they were in for some heat. Fresh off an NCAA Championship in his lone season with the Syracuse Orangemen the Jordan Brand wasted no time making Carmello the face of the franchise. The Nugget's light blue and white uniforms could easily play off the countless UNC colorways that already existed. One of the best iterations of that color combo came in the form of the Air Jordan 12 “Melo” during his rookie year.
Carmello’s Air Jordan 12 originally debuted as a Player Exclusive (PE) during the 2003-2004 season but then saw an actual release in 2004. The all-white leather upper accented by the University-Blue outsole that transitions all the way up to a heel tab still stands the test of time as a definition of refined simplicity. With a Jumpman logo on the tongue and sockliner in the matching pale shade of blue the shoe has just enough color to stay sleek and clean.
Two decades after the shoe originally released the Air Jordan 12 “Melo '' will finally see a retro presentation. Once reserved for Carmello Anthony himself, the “Melo” will now see a release on the SNKRS App for $200 as part of the Summer 2025 lineup. Keep it locked to our Twitter and Instagram for all the latest sneaker news and release updates.
Images via NiceKicks