Andre Drummond laced up the Air Jordan 10 "Double Nickel" for Game 2 at MSG and the location made the shoe choice impossible to ignore. Whether it was intentional or not, the story behind this colorway is too good to overlook.
The "Double Nickel" gets its name from Michael Jordan's legendary 55-point performance against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on March 28th, 1995. It was just his 5th game back from his first retirement.
MJ dropped 55 on the Knicks in the Air Jordan 10, wearing number 45 instead of his usual 23 during his comeback run. The shoe commemorates that exact moment, with "45" embroidered on the lateral ankle to mirror his jersey number that night.
Drummond wearing it at the same building, against the same franchise, in a playoff game is a detail that lands differently depending on how much you know about the shoe. Coincidence or not, it's a very specific choice for a very specific venue.
The colorway runs on a white tumbled leather upper with a black tongue and midsole, red accents throughout, and MJ's list of career accomplishments printed on the outsole. It's a Chicago Bulls colorway down to the last detail.
The 76ers lost. MJ's Bulls won that night. History doesn't always repeat itself.
Andre Drummond's Air Jordan 10 "Double Nickel"
The Air Jordan 10 "Double Nickel" first released in 2015 to mark the 20th anniversary of Jordan's iconic MSG performance. The 2015 version is considered the most faithful retro of the original, featuring richer leather and a shape closer to the 1995 player exclusive than the earlier 2012 Chicago 10 retro.
The "45" collar embroidery is the key detail that separates it from other Chicago 10 releases. Without it, it's just another Bulls-colored Jordan.
With it, the shoe carries a very specific game, a very specific night, and a very specific building attached to it. That building being MSG makes Drummond's choice all the more notable.
