The Air Jordan XII (12) was released in 1996/1997. In the 96/97 season Jordan saw himself being bounced off the MVP throne by Karl Malone, who won the honor with the slimmest margin one can think off. The Air Jordan 12 (XII)'s were also one of the most durable AJ's to date. It seemed almost nothing could break these shoes down. One major disadvantage was that they pretty easily got dirty and was hard to clean. Especially the ones with white midsoles/soles. On the air jordans 12 there was more than just the women's high heel for inspiration, but also the Japanese Rising Sun flag played a big role in the making. Air jordan retro 12 XII History. The stitching down the sides resemble sun rays. If you look at past Air Jordan sneakers, you will notice the famous "23″ located somewhere on the model. On the Air Jordans Retro 12 Michael wanted a different look with his number 23. So an idea came to Michael Jordan to have 23 written down the tongue, written like this: Two 3.