How Basketball and Fashion Collided to Deliver the Most Popular

Sneakers of All Time

Mention Michael Jordan anywhere in the world, and everyone will know who you are talking about. Michael Jordan achieved everything there was to achieve in the game, both individually and as a team. With six NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) Awards, ten scoring titles (both all-time records), five MVP awards, ten All-NBA First Team designations, nine All-Defensive First Team honors, fourteen NBA All-Star Game selections, three All-Star Game MVP Awards, three steals titles, and the 1988 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award as well as winning the NBA championship six times, to say he is the greatest player to ever grace the courts would be an understatement.

Michael Jordan redefined the game on the court and then went on to redefine the entire sneaker game and set trends that are still followed up to this day. This was through the Air Jordan sneakers, which were a collaboration between the man himself and one of the leading footwear designers, Nike.

The Change from Converse To Nike

For a long time, Converse All-Stars were the official sneakers of the NBA. A little backstory to this is that the NBA had a rule where every player was meant to wear the same shoe to match their jerseys as a way of “equalizing players and promoting a team atmosphere.” In fact, they could only wear white or black shoes and match their teammates. The NBA insisted that this was to ensure emphasis was placed on franchise culture and administrative establishment of the NBA rather than on the individual celebrity of especially valuable players such as Jordan. Therefore, they liked Converse shoes because they were all white, accented only by team colors to complement each set of team uniforms.

Fast forward to 1985, and Nike offered Jordan a deal worth around $2.5 million over five years to have his own shoe line. This was quite massive, considering the best a player could get back then was $100,000 for a shoe contract. The first of this line was the iconic black, red, and white pair of Air Jordan 1s that Michael Jordan rocked to a preseason game at Madison Square Garden In 1985.

As you would expect, the NBA wasn’t too pleased with this, and they notified both Jordan and Nike that the shoes were banned from game courts since they clashed with his teammates’. In retaliation, Nike released an ad featuring Jordan, and the main message was quote and quote “on October 15th, Nike created a revolutionary new basketball shoe. On October 18th, the NBA threw them out of the game. Fortunately, the NBA can’t keep you from wearing them. Air Jordans. From Nike.” End quote. And with that, the Michael Jordan shoe history started its journey.

The Nike X Jordan Partnership

Back in the early 80s, Reebok had passed Nike for the number 1 spot in America thanks to their garment leather aerobic shoes. They didn’t have an answer to this. On the other hand, basketball was an untapped market and presented a great opportunity for them to firmly solidify a place. However, all the superstars, the likes of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, that would have been critical in promoting footwear brands wore Converse. That’s just how it had been in basketball since the 20s when Chuck Taylor got his name on the canvas All-Star.

So, with Jordan, there was a huge opportunity for Nike to not only enter the market but perhaps make it their own, just like Converse had done in the preceding decades. Before him, the only athletes or sportspeople that would get their own name-branded products were tennis and golf pros. This was because, unlike basketball, the athletes competed individually. It was, therefore, quite a risk to give Jordan such a huge endorsement considering he played in a team sport.

However, Falk was very influential in convincing Nike to sign Jordan, and it’s safe to say that 26 years down the line, it was one of the best decisions they ever made as a brand. The Nike X Jordan partnership completely changed the footwear game and even gave birth to the “Sneakerhead Culture” that runs rampant even up to date.

Grand Entrance To The Market

In the mid-1980s, the world was changing, and new things were coming up. From personal computers to cable TV and hip-hop, the world was never going to be the same again. For Nike, there wouldn’t be a better time for them to introduce something new to the market. And the events that followed were nothing if not perfect for them.

As earlier stated, the NBA banned their shoes. Okay, technically, it wasn’t their shoe but a custom version of the Air Ship, an inline shoe, and Air Force 1 successor that had been made up in the Air Jordan’s black-and-red color scheme. This was almost six months before they were set to officially release the Air Jordan 1s for sale. The ad was then released, and that did nothing but fuel the hype for the Jordans.

It was the kind of publicity you can’t buy anywhere. To add insult to injury, Jordan had been voted in as an All-Star starter and was well on his way to Rookie of the Year honors at the time the Air Jordan was finally released. The hype had been built to a fever pitch. Within the first ten months, the Air Jordan had done $100 million worth of business, talk about making the perfect entrance.

Missteps Along the Way

The Nike X Jordan Story wasn’t a fairy tale entirely. There were a few missteps along the way. Following the gigantic success the sneakers had made initially, Nike was pushed to produce millions of more pairs hoping to replicate the sales volumes. This wouldn’t be the case, and as the cardinal law of demand suggests, heightened supply will drive prices down. Many of these pairs would end up selling below the $65 suggested price.

Furthermore, Jordan broke his foot in just the third game of the season and was ruled out for close to five months. This was the last thing Nike needed. It’s hard to sell a shoe when the person behind the entire line isn’t playing.

“Sneakerhead” Culture

The Jordans gave rise to what is now known as sneakerhead culture, which continued to grow even after the man retired from professional basketball. Sneakerheads are referred to as people who collect, trade, and or admire sneakers as a hobby. They are well versed in the history of sneakers and study the market carefully. If you present them with a pair of sneakers, they can tell you their value, make, and history. This phenomenon started in North America towards the end of the 20th century but is now global.

Conclusion

Thanks to the Jordans, the entire sneaker scene was changed for life. Since they first appeared in the market in 1985, there have been 35 signature pairs released (one each year). This is discounting the different colorways and retro variations. Each new pair draws more hype than its predecessor, and that is why the Jordans are still one of the most sought-after sneakers today. They have also collaborated with famous artists such as DJ Khaled, Eminem, J Balvin, Drake, and Travis Scott to help them create a unique Air Jordan to call their own.

In addition, Air Jordan has gone on to venture into different sports such as American Football, Soccer, and NASCAR. Paris Saint-Germain F.C., for example, was the first soccer team to display the jumpman logo on their third kits.