The Air Jordan 1 is classic. Sneakers designed specifically for Michael Jordan were born in 1984. They were initially banned from NBA games because they did not meet the standards for the uniform of players and concerns were expressed they would provide a performance advantage. Jordan wore them anyway and the iconic star had an iconic shoe to wear. But was the original version the most famous?
What is Michael Jordan’s most famous shoe? The Air Jordan 1 is arguably the most famous sneaker Michael Jordan has ever worn. The model actually revolutionized the whole basketball industry and completely changed the culture that is associated with wearing sneakers. Gaining the title of “Banned Jordans” when they were released, the Jordan 1’s hold a special place in sneaker history.
The Jordan 1 line made sneaker culture popular. There is no other person who has inspired millions of people to buy sneakers quite like Michael Jordan.
Air Jordan 1
These are the first Jordans that Michael wore to a game, and legend has it that he was fined $5,000 by the NBA for every game in these shoes. The history of the Jordan 1 and rightfully takes first place on our list.
Air Jordan Chicago
The Chicago colorway was introduced to meet the requirements of the NBA. It was dominated by white, as the name suggests, this colorway paid homage to the hometown of the Chicago Bulls. Local old-timers say that Adidas sneakers were popular in Chicago at that time, but after the release of the Air Jordan 1 in Chicago colors, everyone just went crazy and all other brands were forgotten for a long time.
Air Jordan UNC
Air Jordan UNC is a tribute to Michael Jordan College, the University of North Carolina. This university brought up a future superstar, maybe everything turned out differently when Michael entered another university.
Air Jordan Royal
Royal colorway is the most popular model of those in which Jordan never played in official NBA matches. Also in the Royal colorway, Michael was photographed for one of the very first posters of the Air Jordan brand. There is one single photo where Michael Jordan plays basketball. This photo was taken on the deck of a cruise ship and Jordan looks like a guest from the future in tight pants and a tank top.
Air Jordan 1 High OG “Shattered Backboard”
It was released in 2015. In terms of popularity and quality of materials, they are head and shoulders above all other releases that do not have collaboration status and of course, without taking into account the original OG pairs. Since the release, their price in the secondary market has reached $1,000.
OFF-WHITE x Air Jordan 1
The sneakers arrived just in time, at a time when Air Jordan sales were declining and freshened up the history of the Air Jordan 1 with their appearance. People were fed up with the same retro styles and the OFF-WHITE x Air Jordan 1 pair was truly revolutionary and new.
Union x Air Jordan 1 Retro High OG NRG Collection
Jordan Brand and Union sneaker shop teamed up to create a capsule collection inspired by the late 80s and early 90s. The collection includes two colorways, the first is a White/Storm Blue-Varsity Red color combination and draws inspiration from the Bred and Storm Blue colorways. The second pair comes in White/Varsity Red-Wolf Grey-Black, combining Black Toe and White/Grey. Both pairs are made of leather, with a suede upper at the calf, the upper part is connected to the lower part by deliberately casual stitches. The price of these pairs in the secondary market reaches $ 2,000 and, not surprisingly, the collaboration has an interesting idea.
The Air Jordan 1 x Travis Scott
A collaboration between the famous rap artist Travis Scott and Jordan Brand is also noteworthy. It was not Travis’ first shoe experience, he has already worked on the Jordan Trunner LX, Air Force 1, Air Jordan 4 in several colorways. The Air Jordan 1 x Travis Scott is crafted from a combination of leather and textile, and comes in an understated brown and white colorway with a black upside-down swoosh. Many people were waiting for this collaboration, and a fairly powerful advertising campaign was arranged for it, many of the celebrities showed these sneakers on their social networks, some performed in them at concerts, for example, Maroon 5 lead singer Adam Levine performed in them at the Super Bowl in February 2019. Travis himself wore them to almost every show on the tour.
Nike SB x Air Jordan 1 High OG
We should also talk about the sneakers by having a little background. After the very first batch of Jordans sold out, Nike restocked them, but a lot of pairs were made. Plus, new numbered Jordans came out, and the interest of the same people gradually subsided, they were on the shelves for a long time and in the end their discount price was reduced to $20. And just at that moment, they caught the eye of skaters who were looking for something inexpensive and at the same time comfortable. The Air Jordan 1 fits that description. While skate culture did little to make the Air Jordan’s success as a whole, it did help make that success more widespread, as evidenced by the Nike SB Dunk line years later (it’s worth noting that the Dunk SB model bears a resemblance to the Air Jordan 1). Finally, in 2014, the Nike SB x Air Jordan 1 High OG collaboration was released, which was an official recognition of the important role of skate culture in the history of the Air Jordan 1.