The Air Jordan 38 arrived in 2023 at two hundred dollars, designed by Joël Greenspan, and it introduced the X-Plate, a new plate technology that keeps the foot locked over the footbed during hard cuts. The idea was inspired by the crossed strap of the Air Jordan 8, a thread connecting the modern line back to the 90s.

It returned to a lace-based, lockdown-focused build after years of experiments, and it launched alongside the Zion 3 and Luka 2 in the brand’s signature lineup. Performance reviews were solid, and it saw wide use across Jordan’s roster.

The 38 is a dependable, no-nonsense basketball shoe, the kind the line has gotten very good at making. It is the franchise in its mature, athlete-driven phase.