Air Jordan: How this line of basketball shoes became the icon that it is today
Who doesn’t like sneakers? After all, they can be paired with almost everything, starting from trousers and shorts to skirts. One brand that contributed majorly to the ever-increasing craze for sneakers is the iconic Air Jordan, a line of basketball shoes from the stable of our all-too-favourite Nike. The story of Air Jordan’s birth and its elevation to the iconic stature is no less than fascinating.
The birth of Air Jordan
This iconic line of shoes was born in the year 1984 out of an unusual deal. Back then, a rookie basketball player named Michael Jordan wanted to sign an athlete endorsement deal with a company. However, he had a rocky start finding a company that would suit his needs and designs. At that time Jordan was with Chicago Bull, one of the teams in North America’s National Basketball Association (NBA), a professional basketball league composed of 30 teams. At that the time, Converse was NBA’s official shoe. Some brands, including Converse, were too busy catering to reputed players, while others could not produce a shoe that would work for Jordan at the time. Finally, Nike came along. But Michael Jordan was hesitant about the partnership because Nike was known for producing track shoes. Jordan’s agent, David Falk, approached his mother and requested her to persuade Jordan. Due to his mother’s persuasion, Jordan agreed and signed a historic deal with Nike in 1984. It was a 2.5-million-dollar endorsement contract for five years. This transaction made history because no new player had ever received such a large offer. Nike introduced the first Air Jordan in 1985. But how did Air Jordan get its name? Let us investigate!
How did Air Jordan get its name?
Michael Jordan’s name inspired the second half of the shoe’s name. But what is the origin of the first half – ‘Air’? Nike was working on another line of shoes while it was preparing Jordan’s new shoe for release. The company’s latest running shoe featured an innovative technology known as air soles. David Falk saw an opportunity in the unexpected! He took the word ‘air’ from air soles and attached it to ‘Jordan’. This combining of words resulted in the name Air Jordan!
Air Jordan reaches the pinnacle of popularity
Peter Moore, a well-known shoe designer, created the original Air Jordan. These shoes had leather overlays and a perforated leather toe box for ventilation. But unlike other shoes, they were in red, white and black with a Nike swoosh logo. This is because the jersey of Chicago Bull, the team for which Jordan played from 1984-1998, came in red and white. The colour of the shoes clashed with the NBA’s uniform and colour policy as players were only allowed to wear white shoes. But Jordan was unfazed. He continued wearing them and because of this NBA put a fine on Jordan. He faced a $5,000 fine per game! Nike saw this as positive publicity and gladly paid the fine on Jordan’s behalf. The story spread like wildfire and the shoes shot to popularity. Nike went on to sell $126 million worth of Air Jordan in a year! It became a must-have status symbol in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and it still is!
Bonus fact: Michael Jordan wore his original Air Jordan in his final game as a Chicago Bull in 1998. Yes, the ones he was wearing in 1985! His feet were bleeding by half time, but he stayed strong.