The Air Jordan 41... "You Never Really Finish an Air Jordan, You Just Run Out of Time" - Jason Mayden

Sneaker History Podcast - Sneakers, Sneaker Culture and the Business of Footwear · Aug 27, 2026 · 40m

Jason Mayden walked into Jordan Brand in 2001 as its first design intern. He designed the Air Jordan 2009 and the Jordan CP3.II, left in 2014 to build his own companies, and came back a decade later to run design for the entire brand. This past May he stepped out of that job into one that did not exist until he took it, VP of Jordan Visioneering and LA28 Creative Lead.

We talked about the Air Jordan 41, and about almost everything except the spec sheet.

He explains what he had to unpack coming back into the building, and lands on the line that frames the whole conversation, that this is a…