He's already 50 and has retired from basketball for more than a decade, but his legacy and iconic status still remains revered by fans and NBA players still active in the hooping circuit. After all, His Airness has been hailed by the NBA itself as "the greatest basketball player of all time" - a title that is seen to remain firmly in his grasp for many years. Probably until he finds an heir to his throne.
So it should be no surprise that even after MJ has locked away his jersey in retirement, people still make a fuss over anything emblazoned with his legendary name, like the super new Air Jordan XII sneakers, dubbed "Taxi".
Okay, "fuss" is an understatement - the more accurate word is "frenzy" and other synonyms of the word. Proof of this is that recent mayhem in a Columbus, Ohio shopping center. Bleacher Report noted a local Ohio news broadcast which described how shoppers at the Eastland Mall were so eager and impatient to get a Nike Air Jordan 12 Retro "Taxi" voucher that they "broke doors" just to grab one.
Can you imagine the chaos if actual pairs of shoes were involved, instead of pieces of paper?
"Employees at Champs Sports were handing out vouchers for the new Air Jordans. They cost $170 and shoppers will have to come back to pick them up next week," reported WBNS-10TV.
Thankfully, no one got injured and only the door hinges were maimed. A shopper or two were not as lucky when an earlier Air Jordan launch created a similar frenzy in 2011 in Troy, Michigan's Oakland Mall, according to the Detroit Free Press.
The new black-and-white kicks were released December 14th this month and retail at $170. You can get them at eBay for a higher price or at your local sports apparel shop at the official retail price.
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