Air Jordan 1 (I):

About Air Jordan 1 (I)

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.

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.

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. If you are interested in getting a new pair of Air Jordan 1s, visit the Air Jordan Release Dates page to stay current on Air Jordan releases.

1985 was a great year, not only because Michael Jordan was rookie of the year and played in the All-Star game, but because the Air Jordan 1‘s were released. The Air Jordan I was the first shoe to be worn in the NBA with multiple colors. Peter Moore was the man behind the Air Jordan 1 (and also helped design the Air Jordan II). When Michael Jordan first looked at the AJ I, his response was “I’m not wearing that shoe. I’ll look like a clown”. With time, the shoe slowly grew on him. The original Air Jordan 1 retailed at $65.00. Soon after the release of the Air Jordan I, David Stern (Commissioner of the NBA), banned the most popular shoe of the decade to be worn by MJ. Every time Michael stepped on the court with a pair he would have to pay a couple thousand dollars. Nike loved this idea so much that they encouraged MJ to wear the shoes, and Nike would pay the fees. In result, Nike gave the the Air Jordan 1 “The shoe banned by the NBA” label. There was 23 different color variations released, and this is not including the three colorways of the Air Jordan I KO. Each AJ I shoe came with two sets of laces which matched the color combo. In 1994 Nike re-released the Air Jordan 1, which retailed for $80.00, but they sold terribly, hitting sales racks for $20.00. In 2001-2003 the Air Jordan Retro I once again was re-released, and in 2004 the Air Jordan 1 low made another appearance.