The Air Jordan 8 'Playoff' takes me back to my Chicago Bulls ' first three-peat and the third championship. MJ rocked them as he led the Bulls past Charles Barkley and the Phoenix Suns. It was a great time to be a Bulls fan. From a pure sneaker standpoint, the colorway reminds me of the Rare Air color concept. Let's talk sneakers.
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
Sneaker |
Air Jordan 8 Retro 'Playoff' (2023) |
Colorway |
Black/True Red/White |
Style Code |
305381-062 |
Most Recent Release |
September 30, 2023 |
Original Retail |
$210 |
StockX Last Sale |
~$230 |
Premium vs. Retail |
+9.5% |
The 2023 retro dropped at $210 via Nike SNKRS and select Jordan Brand retailers, with a restock following on October 26, 2023. The shoe sold out at retail but remains accessible on the secondary market.
StockX has the last sale sitting around $230, only about 9.5% above original retail. GOAT, Flight Club, and eBay all carry verified pairs across the size run. For a championship-winning OG colorway, this is one of the more affordable AJ retros on the market right now.
The Black/True Red/White execution on the AJ8 is one of the most recognizable color schemes in Jordan Brand history. The 2023 retro brought back the OG red pull tab on the heel — a detail the 2013 retro had swapped to black — and stayed true to the original chenille Jumpman tongue logo, multicolor outsole, and signature midfoot cross-strap harness.
It's a full-throated tribute to the 1993 spec, and that fidelity is what separates this retro from the previous 2007 and 2013 attempts.
The Air Jordan 8 debuted in January 1993, designed by Tinker Hatfield with cross-strap harnesses inspired by trapeze artists. It's the shoe MJ wore during the 1992-93 championship season — the Bulls' third straight title and Jordan's third consecutive Finals MVP, both NBA firsts at the time. He scored 55 points in Game 4 of the 1993 Finals (his Finals scoring record) and led Chicago past the Phoenix Suns in six games before retiring to play baseball.
A game-worn pair from that 1993 Finals run sold at auction for $63,000, which tells you everything about how this silhouette is valued by collectors who care about championship lineage.
If you want a championship-pedigreed Jordan retro without paying OG resale prices, the Playoff is one of the easier yes calls in the catalog. At $230 on StockX, it's barely over original retail, the 2023 build is the most OG-accurate version since 1993, and the AJ8's underrated status keeps the price reasonable compared to AJ1, AJ3, AJ4, and AJ11 retros.
The 2007 retro is currently trading around $384 nearly two decades after its release, which suggests the 2023 version has long-term appreciation potential as the AJ8 silhouette continues to build collector momentum.
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