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Return To Barcelona: Air Jordan 7 Olympics

1309 days ago - by Matt Halfhill - 65 comments
Air Jordan 7 Olympics return to BarcelonaWhile I have enjoyed my time in Barcelona at Bread and Butter and at the grand opening of the new Opium store, there was one primary reason for my travels – to visit the arena that Michael Jordan and the Dream Team played in. Not only was it in my vision to make the trek to this place where the greatest basketball team of all time played, but to wear the Olympic Air Jordan 7 and bring the shoe back to the space where it achieved its significance to me.

The place where the US dominated the world, Pavelló Olímpic de Badalona (now known as the Palau Municipal d’Esports de Badalona), is quite tattered from first glance. While driving by one my see the graffiti covering its exterior, hear the sirens of passing Polícia, or smell the urine that soaks the pillars of the structure, but what gives this place (or disgrace) its importance and its significance is what took place here sixteen years ago.

I nearly circled the entire structure when I happened upon an open door thanks to preparations for an upcoming concert. I found my way through the halls of the building to the floor of the arena. Words cannot describe looking up to the rafters picturing what it looked like to see the Stars and Stripes hanging from above. I was able to take just enough photos of my Olympic and Miró Jordan 7s on the scorers desk where once sat dozens of reports broadcasting the Dream Teams epic road to Gold in several dozen languages. The party ended when the head nods and “holas” were no longer enough and I was ordered to leave.

On the dirty steps of the arena I took more shots of the shoes just before I left. No way could I stop photographing – even after being asked to “vamos” by the police. Nothing gets in the way of me and a good sneaker story…

Air Jordan 7 Olympics return to Barcelona
Air Jordan 7 Olympic on scorer’s desk in Palau Municipal d’Esports de Badalona

Air Jordan 7 Olympics return to Barcelona
Air Jordan 7 Miró on scorer’s desk in Palau Municipal d’Esports de Badalona

Air Jordan 7 Olympics return to Barcelona
Air Jordan 7 Miró and Air Jordan 7 Olympic on scorer’s desk in Palau Municipal d’Esports de Badalona

Air Jordan 7 Olympics return to Barcelona
Rafters of the Palau Municipal d’Esports de Badalona

Air Jordan 7 Olympics return to Barcelona
“Señor, honestly, foto de zapatos!”

Air Jordan 7 Olympics return to Barcelona
Front entry to Palau Municipal d’Esports de Badalona

Air Jordan 7 Olympics return to Barcelona
Palau Municipal d’Esports de Badalona

Air Jordan 7 Olympics return to Barcelona
Air Jordan 7 Miró and Air Jordan 7 Olympic on steps of Palau Municipal d’Esports de Badalona

Air Jordan 7 Olympics return to Barcelona
Air Jordan 7 Miró and Air Jordan 7 Olympic on steps of Palau Municipal d’Esports de Badalona

Air Jordan 7 Olympics return to Barcelona
Air Jordan 7 Olympic on steps of Palau Municipal d’Esports de Badalona

Air Jordan 7 Olympics return to Barcelona
Air Jordan 7 Miró on steps of Palau Municipal d’Esports de Badalona

Air Jordan 7 Olympics return to Barcelona
Air Jordan 7 Olympic on steps of Palau Municipal d’Esports de Badalona

Air Jordan 7 Olympics return to Barcelona
Air Jordan 7 Miró on steps of Palau Municipal d’Esports de Badalona

  • vulkan

    simply Impressed by all this Matt…doing it big

  • mic check 212

    WHAT?!

    The law was after you for taking photos outside the arena?!

    Great write up though Matt. This truly goes down in the history of the craziest things ppl will do just for the love of shoes.

  • http://www.nicekicks.com Nice Kicks

    haha,

    welllllll, I actually got in ish while I was in the arena. We live in a day and age where someone going around a large strucutre taking photos makes ppl think something worse than a kid trying to relive something that he saw on a 22″ TV 16 years ago.

    The door that i went in through wasn’t exactly wide open. The stadium has at least 40 doors on its bottom floor and I went from door to door looking for one that was left unlocked. But in the end, all worth it :-)

  • Jumpoffjune

    LoL….NICE! I KNEW WHEN I READ YOU FOUND AN “OPENED DOOR” THERE WAS MORE TO IT!! I IMAGINED A CROW BAR, OR MAYBE SOME JAMES BOND TYPE BREAKING AN ENTERING! THE OUTSIDE LOOKS DEPRESSING TO SAY THE LEAST TO IMAGINE ALL THE HISTORY THAT ONCE HAPPENED BACK in 92!! BUT NICE STORY!!

  • bulldogskoleff

    sick story but those 7s are possibly the ugliest jordans ever made… im sry but they are awful

  • opus138

    BAD ASS!! Nice writeup :)

    I’m digging the Mirós, actually.

  • jordanhead312

    the REAL olypic 7s is waaaay better i wouldnt mind getting the new one but i dont want my first pair of 7s to be that thing

  • P3

    That must of been amazing.

  • greenmaker24

    olympic 7s r sexy but those new ones r ugly

  • sneakerhead3

    yeah i love the stories. but the new olym. sevens are pretty bad t ome. i am thinking about getting the black,red, and yellow aj7s for school and maybe some ajf12[playoffs]. who knows i cant stick to any shoe plans lol. but i like the older olympic 7s. the new ones might be a great colloctors item, scratch it, will be. just demoralizing to wear l0l.

  • Brooklyn

    Such a touching story Matt. I wish I could watch it all over again with the same feeling. Those shoes are a part of history but I’m not in love with those new VIIs

  • abelino

    some people are lucky (MATT) both kicks are fire you did good…

  • Austin

    man did u ever wear those Olympic 7′s?

  • Glen Mac

    i actually saw the dream team play in person when i was still living in portland back in the day at the memorial coliseum, it was the qualifying “tournament of the americas.” what a great team that was! clyde, mj, magic, bird, etc. = awesome.

  • Sneaker King

    nice write up n photography

  • http://www.nicekicks.com Air Jordan 2

    Dudes need to really quit hatein on these if anything least jordan brand comin with new things to the retros because if they was comin out with all the orginal colors all the some knowin yall dudes yall would be complaining come out with new designings

  • kidnike88

    wow, great story
    if only ppl appreciated kix like we do

  • http://www.nicekicks.com Nice Kicks

    Thank you everyone for the comments. Getting into that place and walking the same floor that the team did and sitting near the benches was such an unbelievable rush.

    I recognize many of you aren’t “sold” on the Miró and I can understand that. In no way am I trying to compare them to the Olympics, but they were in my backpack and came along for the journey because of what the shoes represent.

    Something that hasn’t been shown on the web yet is the sole of the graffics. On one shoe it lists the scores of each game and the other shoe lists Jordan’s Olympic accomplishments. While the shoe will probably never win me over as the nicest looking Jordan shoe, or even something I would want to wear, the shoes have incredible meaning what they represent and how they also pay homage to one of Barcelona’s greatest artists.

    Something of irony, when I was looking on the map to find the arena, there is a little pavilion immediately next to the place named after Joan Miró.

    Thanks everyone for the comments – I got a ton of email requests for the Jordan 7 Olympics on the steps of the Palau Municipal d’Esports de Badalona to be made into a wallpaper. I will post this in about 22 hours once I arrive home to Texas ( long day of travelling :-/ )

  • IkonRadio.com

    Dope post Matt. You’re an assignment journalist at heart bro. LOL!

    But seriously though. I re-lived those moments looking at this post so thanks bro.

  • xkaliba

    a true Jordan and bball fan. Thanks for doing this Matt!

  • Young mike 513

    they would have been better off releasing the first olympic 7 again. i’m sure all of us would appreciate it more then this

  • jibbycanoe

    thanks Matt. once again great journalisim

  • AIR DANIEL

    Matt you’ve done it again!!!

  • vulkan

    Matt file this under our brand new “articles”section soon to be up!!

  • bmoore

    That must have been an amazing experience. The miros are beginning to pop up on ebay

  • Flatsole

    Truly amazing! I remember watching the barcelona games like it was yesterday….we grow up fast!

  • MJSF

    Loving the pics MAN!!

  • http://www.myspace.com/porn0graffiK Darneezy

    The story was a great read. One that many sites lack. It must’ve been amazing to be in Barcelona (itself), let alone the same arena the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA thrashed the opposing countries in.

    Nothing will EVER compare to the ’92/’04 Olympic VII’s, that’s a given (wish people will realize that), but for what it’s worth, no matter how much people HATE the fact that these shoes exist, they need to also APPRECIATE the meaning behind them and the fact that there IS “meaning” (in two ways) with this shoe.

    Love, love, LOVE the idea of these shoes.

  • lildrew23

    I DONT CARE WHAT PEOPLE SAY IM GETTING THEM BECAUSE I LOVE THA 7′S THESE WOULD LOOK PERFET IN MY COLLECTION.

    HATERS KEEP HATIN
    HATERS KEEP HATIN
    HATERS KEEP HATIN
    HATERS KEEP HATIN
    HATERS KEEP HATIN
    HATERS KEEP HATIN
    HATERS KEEP HATIN
    HATERS KEEP HATIN
    HATERS KEEP HATIN
    HATERS KEEP HATIN
    HATERS KEEP HATIN
    HATERS KEEP HATIN
    HATERS KEEP HATIN

  • http://nicekicks.com kutnup

    hellified story & pics!!!great job.

  • http://myspace.com/santaisforeal tjholmes26

    one of these is a whack ass shoe. u be the decision maker. great photos tho.

  • bxmiafury

    Matt,
    It sucks that the losers on this site do not get the point you are making by this post. I was in Barcelona for the ’92 Olympics, no I did not see the Dream Team play. I did wear my Champion MJ Olympic jersey everyday, can’t remember if I had the Olympic VII’s yet. I did get to see a couple of other Olympic games. It is amazing what hip-hop has done to Barcelona, as I remember, sneaker stores and graffiti did not exist there in ’92. You just accomplished something that none of these haters will never do and that is leave the country or even their own city. Great sorry man, I had goose bumps looking at these pics. F’ing amazing. The sneaker comparison is a classic picture showing how generations change. Past to present. Greatest post I ever seen on this site. The hater comments are just sad. Respect the game, before you hate on a shoe or JB.

    10 Kicks don’t make you a collector, Get into the 100′s and than HATE…

  • http://www.kixpo.com NUCLEUS.ON

    Cool pics and coverage.

    And for the record, just because someone doesn’t agree with you, it doesn’t mean they’re hating.

  • cheyo

    HEY MATT SORRY TO BE CHANGING SUBJECTS BUT THERE IS A NEW PIC OF THE AIR YEEZY IN A NEW COLOR WAY, ITS BROWN, AND IN MY OPINION IT LOOKS ILL, ITS ON THE THE K. WEST FACEBOOK FANSITE, CHECK IT OUT

  • C$

    Count me in as one who doesn’t love the Miro’s but did love that post. Good ish.

  • http://jerronc@tmail.com jerronimo

    Good job Sir!! I can tell u really have a love for shoes. Continue to shine that light of yours on the history that needs to be told to the youth.

  • SneakerFiend

    Well keep it a buck i actually grew to love the new 7 Miro’s
    The OJ Olympics are fire but the Miro 7′s look unique and those are already collectibles. I’d be willing to drop a pretty penny for them brand new box and everything.
    Cant believe yu broke into the stadium at fisrt I thought they just let you in then as i went on i was like no way.
    Keep both those kicks in mint condition. If i would’ve been you i would’ve gotten 2 pairs of the miro’s one for collectibles and another pair to sell when a couple of years pass.

  • yungsavage from west vegas

    yea those are the worst jordans ever made possibly the worst designed

  • yungsavage from west vegas

    worst ever!

  • carlos

    heheheh i’m from barcelona! im proud 4 this Air Jordan Barcelona ’92 edition! the best olympic games, and the best Dream Team…
    air jordan Miró stetic art i like it!

    saludos desde Barcelona! ciao!

  • http://myspace.com/grape005 Mark

    I like tho original olympic 7s better
    the new ones are gaaaaayyy
    same applies to the olympic 6s
    original is better than the new colorway

  • http://sneakersandshoes.wordpress.com PhilWil

    YOU ARE CRAZY FOR THIS!!!!

    The imagination and shear ballz of you doing this makes me think that this is one of the best posts on Nicekicks this year. Its a blast from the post with a look to the future at the same time.

    I like the idea of the Milo Art Air Jordans…. but the execution is driving me insane (more so than I am). It could have been done better me thinks.

    If you are a collector and you are truly into getting anything exclusive or special, then you would get this dispite its looks. Remember, people didn’t hate o the Carmines when they first came out, but they were not buying them in droves like the other AJ6′s (I got them on sale, took them back to the store (wish i didn’t though because I liked them) and went back to the store a week or so later just to see them one last time – lol – and they were still there) but a month ago everybody wanted it AND IS ALMOST NOWHERE TO BE FOUND. So if you are a big collector and want a full collection, you are getting this sneaker.

    BTW
    Hey, did anybody notice that the 9 in the back of the Barcelona AJ7′s are facing the opposite direction as the original AJ7 OLYMPICS?

  • bxmiafury

    @PhilWil: All retro 7′s have the number on the back facing inwards. The 9 on the back of the OG Olympic 7 faces outwards. The Miro 7′s resemble the OG Olympic 7′s, once again making this shoe even more important in the game…

  • Mike

    Where did you get the sneakers from?

  • http://www.nicekicks.com Nice Kicks

    Mike,

    The Olys are from 2004, but the Miro’s I bought at Opium in Barcelona, Spain.

  • Ro

    Dont really care what anyone says because as a collector of OVER 100 pairs of jordans, I know whats hot and these Miro’s are hot. At first I didnt like the laces but I would even keep the laces in the shoes just because of the significance of the shoe. Show respect and pay hommage to a great legacy of jordans. You are probably some of the same clowns that say you didnt like the Jordan II Doernbechers. I want these little young cats to stop acting like they are jordan heads and makin ignorant comments about shoes when they dont know their left foot from their right. Jordans have been around since before you were born so stay in your place and keep buyin your dunks and leave the jordan comments to people who were born before 85′

  • Malakidagod

    THEY LOOK LIKE THE BOOTLEGS DA AFRICANS BEEN SELLING SINCE THEY STARTED MAKIN BOOTLEGS SO DATS MEANS DEM PAIRS R LIKE 10 YEARS OLD

  • JC

    damn da 7′s are mad NICE. da AJ7′s are one of da best og Jordans dat eva came out. i wanna see da Air Jordan 7 Miros in da US!! i wanna get em soo bad!

  • J

    WTF.. Those look like those fake jamacan 7′s that are sold in every flea market =|
    like come’on.. =|

  • oldjumpman35

    Ah, the jordan 7 olympic…! I still have mine safe in the closet…! FRESH…!

  • http://nicekicks kicks dad

    the new ones are s!**%$#g on the old ones

  • Max Altera

    Just to say that I live just 500 meters from the Olímpic and I’ve been in 92 at the Spain-USA game. The Palau is the home for the Club Joventut Badalona and a good place for concerts, but there’s also an office of the city council, so that the police cars.

  • skywalker

    MIKe your killling me with these ugly azz kicks.you wanted to represent the olympics I can respect that. BUT WHY DIDN`T YOU JUST BRING BACK THE ORINGINAL OLYMPIC 7`S.THEY SYMBOLIZE MORE TO YOU THAN THOSE PAINT FACTORY ACCIDENTS

  • http://myspace.com/chick_mag_nick nick katherina

    man oh man…the one caption to your photo-”senor, honestly, fotos de zapatos?”.
    i had to laugh out loud at that..
    this is a great post and a great story, much respect to you matt for being so assertive as to find that door. Your the man, keep up the good work.
    and about the miro’s..
    i feel if they didn’t have the black mid, the wouldnt look as faux-jordan
    oh well..i still may try to get my hands on a pair..well see

  • Kevin

    Does anyone know where exactly the opium store in Barcelona is at? I’m going there in a couple of days and I wanna check this store out. Thanks.

  • http://www.nicekicks.com Nice Kicks

    Kevin,

    drop me a line at info@nicekicks.com and I will give you the detailed instructions. I can’t get google maps to work for me properly, otherwise I would post a map up.

  • kevin

    hey I sent an e mail but I havent gotten one back. what is the address to this store? I can’t find it on google.

  • lADii jUMPMAN23

    iM diGGiN BOTH PAiR
    dEy BOTH dOPE

  • TTP

    I want both pairs on my life where ckan i get them how much and when do they drop

  • db

    These are allright. i would cop these definitely, but are these releasing in the u.s?

  • http://myspace rickia

    dem wack man wack as a good way yo digga young weezy babbi!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • http://myspace rickia

    marco polo got dem dat came u long ime ago and the othas ones 1 v is ugly yo digga hit my myspace u

  • http://myspace rickia

    dem fack asssssss hail and ugly would neva get dem is my life was counted on it dem from the flea market lil weezy best rapper alive!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *****************************************.????????????????????????

  • http://Nicekicks Nikki

    Im trying to find out I can get a pair of these 7s for my son. Can they be ordered or do I have to go to barce. to get them?

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