1996

Man, this guy was greater at age 32-33 than any player ever. He had come out of retirement in 1995 and led the Bulls to a 13-4 record to finish the 1994-95 season but the Bulls didn't make it to the Finals. MJ was rusty really, after not playing for 18 months.

He proceeded to lead his team to the greatest single season in NBA history with a 72-10 regular season record. In the closer MJ and the Bulls won so easily that MJ only needed to score 22, which is the least points he has ever scored in the Finals.

Air Jordan 11

When Michael Jordan returned after his first retirement, halfway through the 1994/95 season, he wore the Air Jordan 10s until he was presented with the final design of the Air Jordan 11 later that spring. Nike had not given him the OK to wear the sneakers, but they impressed Jordan so much that he couldn’t resist lacing them up early.

The 11, which again was designed by Tinker Hatfield, is also Michael Jordan’s favorite. It was the first time patent leather was used for one of Jordan’s signature sneakers and stands out from the rest of the Air Jordan series thanks to its largely non-traditional look.