The Air Jordan 1 was released in 1985 kicking off not only the greatest legacy in sneakers, but also the greatest legacy in basketball history.The first round, third overall pick, Michael Jordan, was selected by the Chicago Bulls in the 1984 NBA Draft. Before landing in the NBA, Michael Jordan had a resume that no other player could touch. Jordan excelled in college basketball at North Carolina and helped lead Team USA to a gold medal in the 1984 Olympic Games.Wearing the Air Jordan 1, Michael Jordan soared in his rookie year. Jordan earned a spot on the All-Star team, finished third in scoring (28.2 ppg), brought back the Bulls back to the playoffs, and not surprisingly was Rookie of the Year.Nike, a brand having troubles breaking into the basketball market, saw the potential in Michael Jordan as a player as well as a marketing icon and was immediately signed.
Banned Sneakers?
Though many people associate Tinker Hatfield with the Air Jordan shoe line, Peter Moore was the designer of the Air Jordan 1's. The shoes stood out from the crowd of all other basketball shoes. Not only did the Air Jordan 1 feature a large Nike swoosh logo on the side of the shoe, but the shoe has multiple predominant colors. Michael Jordan stepped onto the court wearing the Black and Red Air Jordan 1 which was banned by the NBA for not matching the on court dress code. Nike launched a multi-million dollar campaign selling the public that the Air Jordan 1's were so great that they were illegal and Nike was also more than willing to pay Jordan's tab of $5,000 per game fine for wearing the Air Jordan 1.
23 flavors
Nike released many colors of the Air Jordan 1 - something that revolutionized the sneaker industry. The Air Jordan 1 was released in 23 different colorways if you include all samples. Many were extremely limited and exclusive to certain areas, but no matter what corner of the globe you were in, there was a huge demand for the original Air Jordans.
Retro life
The White/Black-Red and Black/Red Air Jordan 1's were released as "retros" in 1994 right after Jordan announced his retirement and sold VERY poorly. So badly that many pairs hit clearance centers for $19.99 or less (today a brand new pair of these is worth $500+).
In 2001, Nike tried a second round with retroing and the Air Jordan 1 was much more successful. The Air Jordan 1 was retroed in 14 total colorways from 2001-2003.
The Air Jordan 1 is a legendary shoe and is the holy grail of most sneaker collectors because of its history and since it was the first Jordan shoe launched.
