Time flies. A storyline for far longer than a calendar year, the Jordan Brand 40th anniversary is in its very final stages, putting a capper on a period where the Jumpman restamped its position at the top of the food chain. However, the mill of early looks and leaked product information has made it abundantly clear that Beaverton views this as a new full-speed-ahead chapter rather than a one-off celebration. The slate of 2026 Jordan Releases now clarifies further with in-hand shots of the Air Jordan 9 “Flint Grey.”
This version of the Air Jordan 9 builds off a complementary pairing of “French Blue” and titular “Flint Grey,” the former utilized in a tertiary role compared to white leather uppers, and the latter draping the curved suede overlays you see here. Overall, this version remains true to what fans were treated to in the shoe’s initial release, yet the packaging notably shifts away from that 2002 drop. While the return of the Jordan “face box” and associated retro cards has become a real storyline when looking at ’26 products, curiously, this retro eschews either one despite the fact that MJ’s visage accompanied the OG.
This continues a run of first-ever returns, including but not limited to the Jordan 14 “Forest Green,” the Jordan 5 “Wolf Grey,” and Jordan 6 “Oreo.” Moreover, each of those came in the brand’s first real retro period when models returning to shelves was normalized, primarily centered in the 2000s decade.
Look for the Air Jordan 9 “Flint Grey” in the opening salvo of 2026, queued up for a January 24th release date. Retail pricing is unconfirmed at the time of publication.
