Did you know that once upon a time, Michael Jordan wanted to sign a sneaker endorsement deal with either Converse or Adidas over Nike? According to his longtime agent, MJ had no interest in inking a deal with Nike at the start of his NBA career.
If either Converse or Adidas had pursued MJ a little harder, there might not be a history of Air Jordans to speak of today. But of course, MJ did eventually end up signing with Nike, and the rest is history. MJ and Nike went on to produce some of the best sneakers of the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s.
If you’re a sneakerhead, you likely have at least one pair of Air Jordans in your sneaker collection. Air Jordans are one of the go-to types of sneakers for most hardcore sneakerheads.
But you might not be super familiar with the history of Air Jordans. Learn all about it below and gain a new appreciation for the Air Jordan brand.
Michael Jordan Signs With Nike
As we mentioned a moment ago, Michael Jordan didn’t have a strong interest in signing with Nike when he first entered the NBA in 1984. But his mom of all people forced him to take a meeting with Nike to hear them out, and he liked what he heard.
Nike offered MJ $250,000 to sign with them. They also agreed to give him his very own signature sneaker, which would later be called the Air Jordan. It was more than enough to get MJ on board with Nike.
The First Air Jordan Is Released
Once Nike was able to sign MJ to a deal, they didn’t waste any time taking advantage of it. They had designer Peter Moore create the Air Jordan 1 for MJ, which he started wearing in games.
The Air Jordan 1 was a huge success from the start. But it got a big boost when MJ wore a pair of black and red (or “bred”) AJ1s on the court that the NBA would later ban him from wearing because they broke the league’s “51 percent” rule.
Nike launched an entire campaign around the NBA banning these particular AJ1s. It helped them sell more than $100 million worth of AJ1s in the first year.
Nike Continues to Release Air Jordans
Following the success of the first Air Jordan sneaker, Nike decided to continue to produce new Air Jordan models for each NBA season. First came the Air Jordan II, which was created by Peter Moore and Bruce Kilgore. It retailed for a whopping $100 and showed that the Air Jordan was here to stay.
From there, Nike gave the keys to the Air Jordan lineup to designer Tinker Hatfield. He took the success of the first two Air Jordan sneakers and ran with it. He produced a handful of the most iconic Air Jordan sneakers ever, including the:
- Air Jordan III
- Air Jordan IV
- Air Jordan V
- Air Jordan VI
- Air Jordan VII
- Air Jordan VIII
Hatfield got into the habit of teaming up with MJ to look for new sources of inspiration for each Air Jordan model. They developed an excellent working relationship that led to a string of successful Air Jordan sneakers.
The Air Jordans Continue Coming Despite MJ’s Retirement
In 1993, MJ shocked the sports world by announcing that he was retiring from the NBA. He quit playing basketball to play baseball, and it appeared as though that would be the end of the Air Jordan legacy.
But despite MJ’s retirement, Nike continued to pump out new Air Jordan models. They started with the Air Jordan IX in 1993 before moving on to the Air Jordan X in 1994.
And it’s a good thing that Nike didn’t abandon the Air Jordan lineup. Because by 1995, MJ made his return to the NBA. When he did, he was able to slide right into a pair of the brand-new Air Jordan XIs that Hatfield had been putting together.
Nike Hits Its Stride With Air Jordans
The Air Jordan XI that MJ would wear after returning to the NBA in 1995 would go on to become one of the most iconic of all the Air Jordan sneakers. Nike used its success to take the Air Jordan to the next level.
Following the release of the AJ XI, Nike released a bunch of Air Jordan sneakers that made a big impact on sneaker culture. This included the:
- Air Jordan XII
- Air Jordan XIII
- Air Jordan XIV
- Air Jordan XV
- Air Jordan XVI
After all that, Nike didn’t have much left to prove with the Air Jordan. It had solidified its place in sneaker history and somehow managed to become even bigger than MJ himself in many regards.
Retro Air Jordans Begin to Make Their Mark
If the only thing Nike had done was release one Air Jordan after another over the course of 20 years or so, the history of Air Jordans would still be very strong. But Nike figured out a way to make the Air Jordan brand even bigger by creating retro versions of their Air Jordan sneakers and re-releasing them over time.
Nike started by releasing a retro version of the original Air Jordan 1 in 1994. Since then, they’ve re-released every iconic Air Jordan sneaker multiple times in numerous colorways.
By creating retro versions of the Air Jordan sneakers, Nike has helped to introduce whole new audiences to these sneakers. There are plenty of people who wear Air Jordans today who don’t actually remember seeing MJ play basketball.
Air Jordan Maintains a Stranglehold on the Sneaker World
It doesn’t matter if you were around when the very first Air Jordan sneaker was released or if you just bought your first pair of Air Jordans last year. The Air Jordan brand is every bit as popular today as it was back then.
You can find almost any Air Jordan that you want either in stores or on the secondary market. Check out this Air Jordan’s sizing guide to figure out which size you should order when picking up a pair.
The History of Air Jordans Is Fascinating
If Michael Jordan had gotten his wish and signed with Converse or Adidas back in the 1980s, we might not be talking about the history of Air Jordans right now. But since he did end up signing with Nike, we were all treated to some of the best basketball sneakers of all time.
Think about that the next time you lace up a pair of Air Jordans. You’ll literally be putting on a piece of history when you do it.
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