ABOUT INTEL SCORE
We grade every Jordan drop on a scale of 0–23. That's not arbitrary — it's Michael's number.
Jumpman Intel tracks every Jordan Brand release and assigns an Intel Score before drop day. The score combines six data-driven categories into a single number that tells you what the noise can't. 23 is the ceiling — Jordan's ceiling — and almost nothing reaches it.
WHAT IS THE INTEL SCORE?
Jordan Brand drops more shoes than anyone can keep up with. On any given week there are three or four releases, and every sneaker media site is calling all of them must-cops. The hype machine runs at full volume on every single drop — which means it's actually giving you zero signal. When everything is graded A+, the grade is meaningless.
The Intel Score exists to create separation. We score each release across six objective categories, cap each one at a fixed maximum, and sum them into a single number between 0 and 23. You can compare a Travis Scott collab to a general-release retro and get a concrete, apples-to-apples read on which one is actually the stronger drop.
The scoring philosophy is deliberate: resale premium does not automatically equal quality. A shoe that flips for 3× retail because hype outpaced supply doesn't beat a clean OG retro with deep cultural roots just because it moved on StockX. The score weights cultural legitimacy, silhouette history, and colorway significance alongside market data — because we think those things matter, and because pure resale data alone produces a score that just tracks sneaker Twitter, which you already have.
The result is a number that reflects what we'd tell you if you asked a knowledgeable friend: is this actually good, or is it just loud?
THE 6 CATEGORIES
Every Jordan drop is evaluated across these six categories. Each is scored independently, then summed. Max total: 23.
| Category | Max Pts | What We're Measuring |
|---|---|---|
| Silhouette Prestige | 6 | AJ1 scores 6. AJ15 scores 3. Based on cultural rank within the Jordan lineup — how important is this model to the brand's legacy? |
| Colorway History | 5 | Is this colorway historically significant? OG Bred or Chicago colorways score a 5. Generic neutral or brand-new palette scores 1–2. |
| Collab Factor | 5 | Authenticated Jordan Brand collaborations (Travis Scott, Nigel Sylvester, Union, etc.) score 4–5. Non-collab standard release scores 0. |
| Resale Premium | 4 | Based on projected StockX/GOAT premium at time of release. A 3–4× retail multiple scores 4 pts. At or below retail scores 0. |
| Release Type | 2 | SNKRS Draw exclusive scores 2. Limited-channel release scores 1. Wide general availability scores 0. |
| Community Hype | 1 | Is the drop trending ahead of release? High social volume and community discussion scores 1. Quiet release scores 0. |
SCORE TIERS
Once the six categories are summed, the total maps to one of four tiers — plus a fifth reserved for perfection.
| Tier | Score Range | What It Means |
|---|---|---|
| GOAT | 23 | Perfect. Essentially never happens. A score of 23 means every category fired simultaneously — a generational drop. |
| Hall of Fame | 18–22 | Elite. Buy if you can. These are the drops that define seasons — historically significant colorways, major collabs, or silhouettes at the peak of the lineup. |
| Playoff Run | 15–17 | Strong cop. Historically meaningful with solid resale upside. Worth the effort to secure — you'll be glad you did. |
| Regular Season | 10–14 | Worth watching. Buy if it matches your taste — resale is modest and supply is usually more available. A quality shoe, not a landmark one. |
| Bench | 0–9 | Pass unless you love the silhouette personally. Low cultural weight, modest resale, and no collab energy. Not a bad shoe — just not a moment. |
WHY 23?
Jordan's number was chosen intentionally as the ceiling. 23 is the score no shoe almost reaches — a built-in reminder that perfection is genuinely rare. When a drop scores 21 or 22, that's meaningful in a way that a 10-point scale can't replicate. The number carries weight because the player carried weight. We thought that was worth keeping.
In practice, most drops land between 8 and 16. Hall of Fame scores are unusual. A 23 would require maximum points in all six categories simultaneously — think a SNKRS-exclusive Travis Scott AJ1 in a historically significant colorway with 3× resale at launch and the entire internet talking about it. That combination has never quite aligned perfectly, which is kind of the point.
ABOUT JUMPMAN INTEL
Jumpman Intel covers Jordan Brand exclusively. No other Nike silhouettes, no Adidas, no New Balance, no cross-brand comparisons. The focus is total — every Air Jordan retro, every Jumpman collab, every SNKRS drop — and nothing else. If it doesn't have a Jumpman on it, we don't cover it.
The site launched in 2026 to fill the gap between sneaker news (pure announcement aggregation) and "cop or not" content (pure hype). Most Jordan coverage is one or the other: either a repost of Nike's press images or a YouTuber's take that's driven entirely by how much the shoe moved on resale apps. Jumpman Intel tries to occupy the space in between — actual data, actual methodology, updated scores as market conditions shift before and after drop day.
The site is free and will stay free. We're affiliated with select sneaker retailers and marketplaces — when you click through and buy, we may earn a small commission at no cost to you. Those affiliate relationships are always disclosed. In the future we plan to offer a Cook Group membership tier with earlier score releases and direct-to-inbox drop alerts, but the Intel Score and all public content will never be paywalled.
A NOTE ON TRANSPARENCY
Intel Scores are editorial judgments — they're our best analysis using the six-category framework, applied consistently across every drop we cover. They are not paid placements. No brand, retailer, or resale platform has any influence over how a drop is scored. We update scores when meaningful new data comes in — particularly resale actuals post-drop, which can shift the Resale Premium component — and we note when a score has been revised.
If you think we've scored something wrong, tell us. The methodology is documented here precisely so you can hold us to it.