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Air Jordan 13 Fake vs Real Guide 2025: How to Spot Real AJ 13?

Air Jordan 13 Fake vs Real Guide 2025: How to Spot Real AJ 13?

    • The Air Jordan 13 debuted in the fall of 1997,These sneakers are regarded as the end of the “OG” era, the end of the line of Nike Air Jordan sneakers that Michael Jordan could actually be seen hitting the court in, where he could be seen rocking the Air Jordan 13 in most of the regular season. Since then AJ 13s have become one of the most popular shoe ever made. However, with that popularity, the counterfeit versions have become increasingly flooding the market. So how can you tell if Air Jordan 13 are fake? What's the difference between the real and fake Air Jordan 13 sneakers? How do you know if your Air Jordan 13 are authentic? If you’re planing get a pair of Air Jordan 13, make sure you know how to distinguish the genuine from the fake. Below we'll share some authenticity tips to help you out. Here are 12 surefire ways to tell if Air Jordan 13 are real or fake.

 

Cover Photo:nike.com
 

How About Air Jordan 13?

The Air Jordan 13 is Michael Jordan’s thirteenth signature basketball shoe. The shoe originally released in 1997 as Michael Jordan and the Bulls conquered the NBA again with their 2nd three-peat.

Tinker Hatfield was inspired by Jordan’s “Black Cat” nickname to design the Jordan 13. The outsole is meant to resemble a panther’s paw and the holographic jewel on the heel, a panther’s eye.

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Source:nike.com

To give players the feeling of feline agility, the Air Jordan 13 featured innovations like a carbon fiber plate and Zoom Air. The AJ 13 saw seven OG releases, as MJ neared his second retirement era as a champion. The shoe was released as a retro in 2004, with new limited colorways in high and low top versions for men and women—and again in 2006, 2011, 2013, 2014, and 2015. 

Today, the style is produced in a wide range of colorways, from 'Playoff' 2025 to 'Wolf Grey.'

Where to Buy Air Jordan 13?

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How To Spot Fake Air Jordan 13?

In this real vs fake Air Jordan 13 check guide, you will learn how to spot fake Air Jordan 13 sneakers in just a few simple steps. However Before we get into the actual comparison, we first have to go through the preliminaries:

  • Proof of Purchase

Ask for a proof of purchase. Receipt must include details such as provenance, time of purchase, date and any other relevant information. If a seller is reluctant to provide that, I will strongly urge to refrain from following through with the purchase.

  • Smell the shoes

One of the dead giveaway is the smell/odor of the glue uses to construct the replicas. If the glue smell is really strong to the point of irritating your nostrils, then you’ve probably being dealt a counterfeit

Tip: this Air Jordan 13 fake vs real guide applies to every colourway of the AJ13. except, for example, the Air Jordan 13 Ray Allen, which does not have the Jumpman on the tongue, and other special releases, all of the of mutual details on the AJ 13s apply to all of the colourways of these shoes.

1. The Overall Look of Air Jordan 13

(1) For starters, pay your attention to the overall shape of the shoe. Right off the bat you can notice a flaw in coloring, although the colors may appear different under various lighting.

(2) The shape of the shoe is also incorrect, and it becomes more obvious when looking at the heel and the toe box areas. The heel of the authentic shoe has a straight line shape, while the fake one is more curved. The toe box, on the other hand, is not curved enough.

(3) Finally, pay attention to the textures. The blue fabric, intertwined with reflective 3M detailing, should have a more dimpled look. The texture of the gray suede should feel very smooth, because the authentic model uses higher quality materials. Not only that, but the stitching of the fake is bigger and looks more obvious.

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2.The Size Tag of Air Jordan 13

(1) A fake pair of Jordan 13 always has thicker inscriptions compared to those on the original pairs.

  • The fake style code is too thick: the print in the top-right corner. For this example, we’ve used the Jordan 13 Flint size tag (“414571-404”).

  • The fake date of manufacturing is too thin, and the real one is thicker.

  • The fake shoes have their “MADE IN CHINA” lines of text looking too thick.

  • The authentic Air Jordan 13’s style code is thinner than the one found on the replica.

(2) On the other hand, the authentic Air Jordan 13s have their text on the bottom left corner of the size tag looking thinner than the text found on the replica shoes.

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3.The Toebox of Air Jordan 13

(1) Looking at the authentic shoes’ toe box, you can see how they have a thinner and “slimmer” look than the fake shoes’ toe box, which looks over-inflated and thicker than the legit shoes’ toe box.

(2) You can notice how the authentic shoe is made of higher quality leather, judging by the leather texture. It is very textured and you can see individual lines, which signifies that the sneakers are  made from real, excellent leather. The fake one looks too smooth, and may also have an unpleasant factory smell, which the real pair of course should not have.

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4.The Tongue of Air Jordan 13

(1) The authentic Air Jordan 13s will always have the same stitching weight for their tongue’s Jumpman logo, and will never have parts of the body of the Jumpman thicker or thinner than the rest, unlike the fake shoes.

(2) The fake shoes have their tongues Jumpman looking too thick. And the tongue of the fake pair is relatively short ( see the red arrow); I don’t want to mislead you because I’ve seen authentic pairs with tongues that appear short so take this with a grain of salt.

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5.The Hologram of  Air Jordan 13

You can notice that the colors differ, but fear not, because the color of the hologram actually changes depending on the lighting. What you should really pay attention to is the stitching and the design of the hologram.

(1) The fake shoes have their stitching too thin.

(2) The fake shoes have their Jumpman and the “23” text less opaque than the legit shoes’ hologram.

(3) The fake pair’s stitching circle is placed too far away from the bubble, while the legit shoes have their stitching circle placed closer to the bubble with the hologram.

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6.The Sole of  Air Jordan 13

(1) Moving to the original Air Jordan 13 shoes, we have pointed out in the fake vs real Air Jordan 13 image below how the legit pair has its Jumpman looking thinner and slimmer than the one found on the fake pair.

(2) The next mistake is the circular branding in the middle, specifically its size and color. The size of the fake one is too big, and the color a bit darker. 

(3) You should also pay attention to the Jumpman logo and notice that its shape is not very distinct, so it looks slightly smudged.

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(4) Finally, look at the carbon fiber on the bottom of the shoe. It should look waffle shaped with dots in each square. As you can see on the fake one, it has solid plastic looking pieces with dashes on it.

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7.The Logo of Air Jordan 13

  • Jordan logo

(1) The fake shoes have their “JORDAN” text looking too small and too thin.

(2) The fake Jordan 13s usually have their text too far away from the edges.

(3) Also, fake 13s have their text too thin.

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  • The Throat Jumpman Logo 

(1) First of all, the logo on the throat is the wrong color.

(2) The stitching of the logo should be dense, but not bumpy, and this is where the replica gets it wrong. Due to excessive stitching, the Jumpman silhouette appears to be too thick. Notice how his arms look like tubes, and the head is too big. 

(3) Not only that, but the fake has a line in the crotch area that is not needed.

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8.The Underside of the Insole

(1)The first thing to examine here is the font. Clearly, the fake insole has its font much smaller and thicker, which makes it less legible. Not only that, but the “DuraPontex” logo looks misplaced, judging by the distance of the logo from the edge of the insole.

(2) Then you can actually see the glue pattern on the insole. While even in some authentics it can also be seen, the glue pattern in most of the authentic Jordan pairs is usually diagonal stripes, not horizontal.

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9.The Stitching of Air Jordan 13

  • Front Stitching

(1) All of the stitches on the authentic shoes are of the same thickness and length.

(2) The fake shoes have their stitching below the “JORDAN” text tab improperly shaped. And the stitches are too thick and short.

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  • Heel Stitching

High quality stitching can be hard to replicate. Check carefully that the stitching on the heel is tight, straight, evenly spaced and follows the edge of each panel evenly. 

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Tip: check the join between the upper and outsole is an even straight line and does not have any excess glue showing.

  • Side Stitching

Nike Air Jordan 13 Retro's have a quilted dot like pattern on the upper. Look closely at the small stitches inside each dot. Make sure the stitching is tight and even.

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  • The Footbed Stitching

(1)What you should notice here is the stitching pattern. In the fake shoe the stitches overlap each other in some places, creating a cross pattern. It should not be this way, as each stitch should be individual and not overlapping with any other elements.

(2) The materials of the footbed are different. You can notice it if you look at the pattern of the footbed. In the original the pattern looks like small dots, while the fake one has a zigzag wave pattern.

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10.The Heel Bump of Air Jordan 13

(1) The authentic shoes have a little bump on their rear side, visible from the profile sides of the shoes.

(2) Fake AJ13s have a straight shape, as they do not curve enough on the back.

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11.The Laces of the Air Jordan 13

 (1) If they are authentic, you will surely notice that they fit each other well. The shoelaces, which are slightly thinner in the original, will hug the tongue tightly and keep its distinctive shape. 

(2) In fact, the counterfeit Air Jordan 13 sneakers have their print that’s placed behind the shoelaces coloured differently than the authentic ones. 

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12.The Label of Air Jordan 13

  •  Inside Label 

(1) Inside label details vary depending on year, country of manufacture and style. Check the style number, usually 9 digits, matches that found on the box. 

(2) Check that the tail of the Q in FABRIQUE starts inside the circle. Check for any spelling errors and that the glue area is uniform and neat. 

(3) The shoe's production date will fall between the two dates indicated on the label.

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Tip: Do a Google image search for "Nike"+"style number" to check the colourway.

  •  Box Label 

(1) Nike retail boxes feature a label on one side detailing barcode, style name, size, color, country of manufacture and a style number. 

(2) The style number is usually 9 digits long, the first 6 digits represent the style and the last 3 digits represent the colourway. 

(3) Check that this style number matches the one located inside the shoe and on the sales receipt.

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Tip 1: Do a Google image search for "Nike"+"style number" to check the colourway. 

Tip 2: scan the barcode with a barcode scanner app, the exact product including size should be correct.

How To Spot Fake Air Jordan 13 (Any) Quickly?

  • Check the shape of your shoes from the back. Mostly, the fake Air Jordan 13s have their shape looking too fat and wide from the back.

  • Examine the shape of the shoes from the side. Mostly, the fake Air Jordan 13s have their shoes straight on the rear side, while the authentic shoes must have a bumpy and curvy shape.

  • Check the size tag of your shoes. Mostly, the replica AJ13 sneakers have their text on the size tag improperly positioned and font-weighted.

  • Verify the stitching below the “JORDAN” text tab. Most of the time, the fake Air Jordan 13s have their stitching improperly shaped and weighted.

  • Check the toe box of your Air Jordan 13s. The fake AJ13 sneakers are most common to have their toe box area looking over-inflated, thicker and curvier than the authentic shoes’ toe box.

  • Authenticate the thickness of the Jumpman on the sole of your shoes, as most of the fake pairs have their Jumpman looking too thick.

  • Inspect your shoes for the “JORDAN” text found below the laces. Mostly, the fake Air Jordan 13s have their text looking too thin and small.

  • Check the Jumpman on the tongue of your Air Jordan 13s. Usually, the fake Air Jordan 13s have their Jumpman on the tongue looking too thick compared to the retail pairs.

  • Check the text on the box label of your shoes. Most of the time, the fake shoes have their text looking too thin.

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2023-08-09 02:341489