Reviewing articles and coverage about the best basketball shoes in the world, we always ask the same question: how did the concept come to be?
What were the elements of the shoe’s design? Was there drama? When was the first Jordan made?
Let’s explores these super interesting facts about Air Jordan Shoes.
In 1984, Michael Jordan signed a deal with Nike to endorse a unique basketball shoe brand, the Air Jordan.
Nike had been struggling before Jordan signed the shoe deal.
Therefore, it’s safe to say that Air Jordans were the shoes that built Nike. Although Jordan was not happy about this, were it not for his manager, he would have refused to sign the deal.
This is because Jordan preferred Adidas and Converse shoes.
There are, however, some exciting factors that people may not know about Air Jordans.
The Deal on Air Jordan
For five years, the initial deal for Air Jordan 1 shoes was $2.5million, in addition to other benefits and royalties.
The first shoe pairing was gold.
This is because it quickly rolled off the manufacturing line and into the stores bearing the winged basketball logo and a price tag of $65.
The NBA, however, banned Jordan from wearing these shoes to the court by handing out a fine of $5000 per game.
Because Nike was not ready to let this advertising go, they agreed to pay the fine and keep Jordan’s feet shod with the shoes.
With this, many people began clamoring to get similar pairs for their personal use.
Changing of the Logo from Basketball to Jumpman Logo
After Jordan won the 1986-87 Slam Dunk competition, the Air Jordan designer decided to change the basketball logo to the current Jumpman logo.
By this time, the retail price of the sneaker was rising to $100 for each pair. However, Jordan wanted to avoid the contract by the third year.
After this, Tinker Hatfield decided to talk to Jordan face-to-face asking him for his input into the shoe, after which he chose to maintain his commitment.
Manufacture of A Satin Pair of Air Jordan
Nike decided to take things up a notch because the popularity of the ‘Banned’ Air Jordan was a result of its extra-buttery feel.
They decided to manufacture a super-limited version of the Air Jordans, which has an upper entirely made from satin.
They also came with matching accessories like sports apparel.
Because of the luxurious satin, these shoes may not have the same performance and durability as the original Air Jordans.
Due to this being a collectible item, the price is quite hefty.
For this reason, the Air Jordan 1 Satin can even resell for more than $2,000.
Redesigning of the Air Jordan
Michael Jordan actively put in ideas towards making the Jordan shoes better even though he may have thought that the shoes named after him were not the very best.
For this reason, Nike decided to redesign the Air Jordan 3 shoe based on Jordan’s suggestion to have it three-quarter cut.
The shoes were more comfortable because the materials used for making this particular shoe were lighter than average.
The shoes flew off the shelves quickly as this significant change was wildly popular.
Hatfield and Jordan consistently worked together on designing for the Air Jordan until the XV version.
This led to Air Jordan becoming a sub-brand of Nike by 1997. There’s no Nike name or the Nike logo on any of the Jordan shoes.
The Banning of the Air Jordan
It is safe to say that the red and black Air Jordans might be popular, yet they are more than their share of the controversies.
The Air Jordans 1, which are also popularly as the banned versions, were also not what Michael Jordan opted for Jordan was fined for wearing these shoes by the NBA because they did not adhere to the whole league’s uniform rules.
Later on, Nike went a step further to retain the advertisement after paying the fines.
Nike’s main goal was to market the shoes as a forbidden fruit, thus enhancing their appeal.
However, many sources say this story is a myth because it is quite challenging to find photographic evidence of Jordan wearing sneakers with that color combination in any NBA game from that time.
‘However, for whatever reason, Michael Jordan himself has stuck to the banned story for more than 35 years.
While Air Jordans have been changing over the years, the new shoes still meet with the same zeal. Visit Hypeyourbeast for reviews of every Air Jordans ever released and uncover a rare, limited edition pair that will undoubtedly spark envy among your friends.
The shoes, as well as the brand, have been growing and prospering.
However, many people wonder if the Nike brand would be as famous today if it were not for its past connection with Air Jordan.