The Air Jordan XII (12) was released in 1996/1997.

In the 96/97 season Jordan saw himself being bounced off the MVP throne by Karl Malone, who won the honor with the slimmest margin one can think off. Jordan got his revenge in the finals though, and led the Bulls past Malone's Utah Jazz and also picked up the Finals MVP honors for the fifth time (out of five tries!).

Sun sets in Japan
This shoe was again something totally new when it came to design. The way the ribbed leather seemed to go all the way to down to the ground due to the match in color with the midsoles, really made people turn their heads. This unique design was partly inspired by the flag of the Japanese Army & Navy in which the red circle is surrounded by a "sunset".

The XII's were also one of the most durable AJ's to date. It seemed almost nothing could break these shoes down. One major disadvantage was that they pretty easily got dirty and was hard to clean. Especially the ones with white midsoles/soles.

Jordan Brand
In September 1997 Nike decided to launch a new sub-brand of Nike called Jordan Brand. This made the Air Jordan XII one of the first products that were a part of the Jordan Brand collection.

Probably due to this fact, the Air Jordan XII was the first Air Jordan that did not have a Swoosh or a Nike logo anywhere on the shoe. Not even on the insole.