Official Looks at Ethan Ellis’ Air Jordan 1 Patent Bred x Nike Tech Fleece Apparel Doernbecher

Bad luck keeping up with Ethan Ellis. This athletic, mile-a-minute guy is passionate about basketball and dreams of playing professionally one day. This year he was lucky enough to be selected to participate in the annual Nike Doernbecher Freestyle program, getting to design his favorite Air Jordan retro — the 14 — and today we get to see the pair in all of its detail.

Ethan was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a condition where the left side of the heart is very underdeveloped. Although he initially thrived as a child after three staged surgeries, 11 years later his heart started to fail. He underwent two heart valve surgeries but ultimately needed a heart transplant, which he received at Seattle Children’s Hospital in 2019.

Ethan’s design is a tribute to both the game he loves and the people and places that were a part of his health journey. The purple and black colors and reptilian accents are a nod to his favorite team, the TCU Horned Frogs. The number 6 represents the number of heart surgeries he’s undergone, while the laces feature the hospitals where he received care. On the tongue, you’ll find the name of his pal and fellow patient, “Lil’ Rey,” and the pair is complete with a special EE monogram on the lateral ankle.

Ethan’s Air Jordan 1 Patent Bred x Nike Tech Fleece Apparel will release alongside Jordan Jumpman Logo Fleece Po on Nike.comand at select Nike retail and partner stores on December 7th. Take in a detailed look at the pair below, and be sure to keep your eyes locked on our dedicated Nike Release Dates Calendar for updates on where you can secure your pairs of the DB collection come the first week of December.