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Back in the mid-’90s, during Michael Jordan’s year-and-a-half break from the NBA, Jordan Brand ran a campaign for the Air Jordan 9 built around a sly premise: MJ hadn’t actually left the game, he’d just gone undercover. The result was the 1994 “Alter Ego” campaign, a wonderfully strange ad that had MJ having six different disguises, and out of that came the Kilroy Pack from 2012.
Now Jordan Brand isn’t just bringing one of those back. They’re mashing all of them together.
The Air Jordan 9 Low “What The Kilroy” takes the mismatched-shoe formula and applies it to an entire six-pack of throwback colorways at once. On the left shoe, we have the Slim Jenkins sockliner and mudguard, paired with Motoboat Jones’ upper and laces, then completed with Bentley Ellis’ tongue and sole. On the right side we have Calvin Bailey’s sockliner and mudguard, Johnny Kilroy’s upper and tongue, with Fontay Montana’s vibrant sole and its laces. The tongue on each shoe also features the names of the shoes it references.
As for the details, take a peep inside, and you’ll see that the insole features a triple-stacked Jumpman graphic, while the heels alternate between “23” and “4” embroidery taken from Slim Jenkins and Johnny Kilroy. There’s even “KILROY KICKS BUTT” text tucked on the inner tongue for anyone paying close enough attention.
Fourteen years removed from the original run, this is about as close as the Kilroy story has come to a real reunion, and it’s a deep pull for a silhouette that never got its moment to shine on an actual NBA court.
The Air Jordan 9 Low “What The Kilroy” drops August 14th on SNKRS and at select retailers. Check out the pair below and stay tuned to Modern Notoriety for updates.
Air Jordan 9 Low “What the Kilroy”
Color: Black/Deep Royal Blue-White-Challenge Red
Style Code: IV6476-010
Release Date: August 14, 2026
Price: $180 USD
