The Air Michael Jordan 16 was released on February 17, 2001 - Jordan's 38th birthday. This shoe was the first to not be designed by Tinker Hatfield in over a decade, yet it brought together the best pieces of shoes Tinker designed. The Air Jordan 16 hit the shelves following the successful Air Jordan 15. Jordan Brand found that Jordan didn’t need to wear the shoes in the NBA to be on the hot list of every other American teenager.