Being an athlete at the University of North Carolina certainly has its perks, especially for the basketball team and staff. With the team being sponsored by Jordan Brand, they often get special edition Jordan shoes to wear during the season.

And this year is no different.

While they aren’t player exclusives available to just the program, the basketball team received the Air Jordan 9 “powder blue” colorway a little early. With a release date set for March, the team received their pair early on Friday and are able to wear them and show them off.

Check out some pictures as the team received them early:

This retro Air Jordan 9 helps pay homage to the North Carolina practice shorts that Jordan wore under his Bulls shorts. They are also featured in an iconic ad by Nike with Jordan sitting on a basketball in his UNC jersey back in the 90’s.

The public has the chance to purchase the shoes on March 23rd with a retail price tag of $210.

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Story originally appeared on Tarheels Wire