Everyone remembers the iconic scene in Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing when Buggin’ Out, played by Giancarlo Esposito, is wearing a pristine pair of Air Jordan 4s. A passing cyclist accidentally rolls his bike tire over Buggin’ Out’s white Jordans, leaving a noticeable scuff. His frustration isn’t just about the scuffed sneakers—it’s about the cultural significance the Air Jordans held: a symbol of status, especially in the late ’80s when Air Jordans were on the verge of becoming an emphatic cultural statement in urban Black communities. The love and value seen in the movie wasn’t a one-off on-screen instance. The Air Jordan was coveted in real life just as much as it was in the media—all except in the one place it was meant to be worn: the court.
It’s been 40 years since Nike partnered with a then 21-year-old Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls. A year before the official launch, on September 15th of 1984, Jordan and Nike created the Air Jordan 1. Exactly a month and a three days later, the NBA banned the Air Jordan from the game.
In tandem with the ban, the NBA issued a letter to Nike following the sneakers’ appearance during All-Star Weekend, stating: “Gentlemen. In accordance with our conversations, this will confirm and verify that the National Basketball Association’s rules and procedures prohibited the wearing of certain red and black NIKE basketball shoes by Chicago Bulls player Michael Jordan on or around October 18, 1984.”
Nike capitalized on the controversy with a commercial titled “Banned” in 1985. While showing a young Michael Jordan bouncing a ball, it pans down to his sneakers, revealing two censored blocks over them. The voice over saying: “On September 15th, Nike created a revolutionary new basketball shoe. On October 18th, the NBA threw them out of the game. Fortunately, the NBA can’t keep you from wearing them. Air Jordans, from Nike.”
The NBA is a league built on a game of rules—and it has many of them. For a long time, the NBA thrived as an institution rooted in sponsorships and the intersection of orderly conduct, meaning no cursing, no taunting, no fighting and no breaking the dress code. The Air Jordan, however, did exactly that.
The first release of the Air Jordan 1 featured a fiery red mudguard, heel and tip, paired with a short white quarter panel and completed with a classic black Nike swoosh. The name not only described Michael Jordan’s vertical and athletic ability but the shoe’s encapsulated Air-Sole unit, lightweight cushioning and leather upper that offered durability and structure.
At the time, the NBA’s dress code strictly enforced that shoes “worn by athletes must be 51% white and must match the shoes worn by their team colors,” per NBA regulations. Since Nike’s Air Jordan 1 did not meet these requirements, the league fined the Bulls $1,000 for the black-and-red shoe debut—“which, Nike paid“ says a Jordan communications representative on the team’s behalf. According to Jordan representatives, “David Stern’s office declared that if Jordan wore them again, he would be fined $5,000, and the Bulls would have to forfeit each consecutive game he wore them after that.”
As Jordan continued to wear the shoe, especially in that year’s All-Star Weekend Dunk contest, Nike historian Scott Reames explained, “[Rob] Strasser said he’d write a check for $80,000. However, the NBA bumped the fine for a second violation to $5,000 and then threatened suspension, so Nike capitulated,” in a post on Linkedin.
Nike’s willingness to pay Jordan’s fines was intended to be a marketing plan to sell the sneaker that was crowded with controversy. And the plan worked: Nike had expected to sell 100,000 pairs of the Air Jordan 1 in its first year—but instead “sold 1.5 million pairs in the first six weeks alone,” say Jordan reps.
The brand continued to cover the fines until the so-called “ban” forced Jordan to wear NBA-approved “Chicago” and “Black Toe” versions of the Air Jordan 1 in regular season games.
“Michael Jordan is as hot as a Cabbage Patch doll right now,” can be heard in the background of ESPN’s The Last Dance documentary—a fitting comparison, given how popular Cabbage Patch dolls were in the late 1980s. For companies, it seemed like Michael Jordan could sell anything—from a McDonald’s sponsorship to Wilson Sporting Goods and more—all while still in his rookie year and without much to show. So it makes sense that when Nike approached the Rookie of the Year for a deal, they knew that a number wouldn’t be enough with Converse and Adidas’ consideration at play.
Of course, the amount of money offered being a five-year, $2.5 million deal with Nike, it was significant for any athlete at the time, especially for a rookie. But what truly set Nike apart was the nature of the deal: It was the first time a player received royalties on every sale of a shoe, according to Jordan representatives.
The Air Jordan not only revolutionized the sneaker industry but also became a cultural staple, valued for its style, performance and sheer cool-factor on and off the court. Celebrities like LL Cool J, Ice T, and Eazy E were wearing them, it was featured on shows like The Fresh Prince of Bell Air and Spike Lee was directing every Air Jordan commercial. His “It’s gotta be the shoes” catchphrase made it a cultural touchstone. Over the years, it evolved into a symbol of status, spawning 38 flagship models and generating $19 billion in revenue for Nike in the past five years alone. What began as a footwear controversy became the cornerstone of “sneakerhead” culture, with fans queuing up for releases and driving up resale values.
Its impact on the NBA was undeniable, with the Air Jordan becoming one of the most worn sneakers in the league during the 2018–2019 season—coincidentally the same year the rule mandating team-color matching sneakers was repealed. And, in true fashion, history repeats itself: In February 2025, NBA 2K announced that the Jordan Brand would be banned from NBA 2K25 due to “reasons beyond the company’s control,” marking a new chapter, with the same controversies, for the iconic sneaker.