How was the Legacy of Jordan Born?
February 28, 2023
1 April 1985. While some people simply remember it as a normal NBA game featuring the Great MJ, the shoe world witnessed a revolution. Michael Jordan set foot on court with a sneaker that cost 65$ dollars and caused quite a stir in the media.
But this was the day when something special was born. The Air Jordan. Whenever people come across a Nike Review and they fail to see a decent column for the Jordans, disappointment follows. Even though Nike had to pay a fine of 5,000 dollars every time Jordan stepped on the court with those shoes, they were more than happy to capitalize on the publicity.
As Nike thought, the shoe became a status symbol, catching the attention of the public, with teenagers to adults, everyone wanting a piece of the new sneaker culture that Nike had started. Nike had started an entirely different culture, where the people understood that the shoe had the same credibility as the guy who wore them.
Soon Jordan became the shoe. It was like owning a lightsaber in the 80s and 90s for every other kid. With that, started the era of Air Jordan.
Every guy on every block would rep these as street style and classy alike. Jordan continued his streak as arguably the greatest basketball player to ever grace the court, while off the court, the Air market was at an all time high.
This led to the designs of multiple Jordans, with the original series coming at Air Jordan 1, and the latest being the Air Jordan 7 series, basketball shoes that have inspired and defined a generation of young ballers.
But this wasn’t enough to cement the legacy of the shoe or the player. This was only the beginning as Nike reached record breaking sales with the Air Jordan, and due to the limited number of pairs being made, the significance and the price tag of the shoe shot up.
This led to the birth of the modern sneaker collecting hobby that people across the globe follow religiously.
Air Jordan was at the center of almost every sneaker revolution, because it wasn’t just about the shoe but the guy who wore it.
The shoe generated a sense of belief that if someone as successful as MJ was willing to stick with the shoe, it might have something that they can only feel when they walk a mile in the shoe.
Today, Jordan and the player are one. It is safe to say that Michael Jordan was HIM in the making of the Air Jordan legacy.
