History of the Michael Jordan Shoe

Michael Jordan is one of the most well-known, successful, and wealthiest basketball players there is. In 1984, he won the National title at the University of North Carolina and a Gold Medal at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles; he then was selected 3rd overall draft pick by the Chicago Bills in the NBA. That year he also signed a $2.5 million dollar endorsement deal with Nike and that where it all began. In 1985, Nike gave Jordan his own signature line of shoes and clothing, very different than any other brand. The first Air Jordan 1 shoe was produced and sold for $65 dollars and featured the Nike swoosh on the mid panel and a newly designed winged logo on the ankle. This shoe paved the way for colorful basketball shoes, and the way people looked at tennis shoes. During the 1985 NBA season Michael woe the shoes and was fines $5,000 every time he wore them. Nike was glad to pay since the more he wore them the more popular they became. In 1987 the Air Jordan II was created,the swoosh was removed from this shoe. They used upgraded materials on this shoe some such as faux lizard skin, made them high-top for better ankle support. The Air Jordan wing logo was on the tongue of the shoe. You did not see this shoe on the court much, but all the people wanted it. Although Michael Jordan did win his first NBA slam dunk contest wearing the Air Jordan II. By 1988 everybody wanted a pair Air Jordan tennis shoes. This year Nike removed the wing logo and replaced it with a “Jumpman” logo on the tongue. It also changed to a mid-shoe instead of a high-top shoe. Another big change was the print; they used a faux elephant print, which was on the toe cap and heel of the shoe. This shoe was also the first shoe to get its own commercial with Nike and produced by Spike Lee. The commercial also stared MJ and Spike and lead to several more Air Jordan commercial in the coming years. Michael scored 35 points a game wearing these shoes which he called the Air Jordan III. He also went on the win the MVP award in the All-Star game and the second straight Slam Dunk title. The Air Jordan III is one of the most popular and in demand of all the Jordan shoes. In 1989 the Air Jordan IV was released, it too was mid-level shoe and for the first times ever mesh was put on the shoes. This shoe was known as the most comfortable, most loved Air Jordan shoe. The Jumpman logo for the second time was used but they added the words “flight” underneath it. The Air Jordan IV is one of the most collected shoes in the series and in 1999, ten years after being released Michael Jordan released them again and they sold out immediately. In 1990 the Air Jordan V were created, again pushing the basketball shoe to the next level. They added a patch with the words “Air Jordan “on the inside of the tongue. Another first was the color scheme that was used on this shoe, purple/emerald color pattern. While wearing the Jordan V he made his 6th all-star appearance and won his 4th league scoring title. Jordan re-released the Air Jordan V in multiple color ways, some including the original Grape, Fire Red and Black/Silver, White/Royal/Maze which was Jordan high school colors. In 1991 the Air JordanVI were released, these were made of leather and were Black/Infra-Red. This shoe was also worn by Jerry Seinfeld; it is one of the most loved shoes in the line. Michael wore this shoe when the Bulls won is first ever NBA championship and he was named NBA MVP. In 1992 the Air Jordan VII came out, not much changed from the VI to the VII’s. Nike did remove the Nike Air logo, and added a hard plastic arrow shaped piece on the heel featuring the number 23 on it. The Jordan VII made several changes to the commercials Nike aired; it now featured MJ and Bugs Bunny both wearing the Air Jordan VII. Michael wore these shoes while playing in the Olympics as he led the “Dream Team” to a gold medal win. In 1993 the Air Jordan VIII were released, these again had very minor changes. The colors for this shoe were originally produced in White/Black/Red leather and two suede versions in Black/Red and Black/Aqua. The Black/Aqua shoe was the one MJ wore in the 1993 NBA All-Star game is one of the most sought-after original Jordan’s. This shoe was also re-released in 2007 and sold out immediately. After leading the Bulls to three straight NBA championships, Michael Jordan retired from pro basketballs to purse a dream he had of playing baseball. Nike still moved forward with producing another Air Jordan, this one was called the Air Jordan IX, released in 1994. Although Michael Jordan never wore these shoes on the basketball court, several others did. Some of those people are Penny Hardaway, Kendall Gill and high-schooler LeBron James. MJ retired from baseball in 1995 and planned to return to basketball. The Air Jordan X came out in 1995. These shoes were very simplistic of all the Jordan’s. they were produced in eight color ways, these shoes were part of a city series that featured the 5 color schemes of the NBA: Chicago, Orlando, New York Sacramento and Seattle. These have become some of the most sought-after Air Jordan’s, so much so that the Chicago X’s have sold for thousands of dollars at an auction. Michael continued to make, release and wear his Air Jordans until 1999. The Air Jordan XIV would be the last shoe that Michael would wear as a Chicago Bull. This shoe is knows as the “last shot” shoe, inspired by Michaels love for cars specifically a Ferrari. It had 7 Jumpman logos on it and was produced in 5 originals colors. Nike continued to make Air Jordans one a year changing with the current designs each year. With the latest Air Jordan now costing about $185, and a are kept a secret until release day. He has had great success in his career as a basketball player, baseball player shoe designer, and even an executive. Several of his shoes have been re-released and are still as popular and sought-after as the first time they came out.