As the number of Air Jordan I releases continue to rise in the upcoming months, we came across this commercial on YouTube and thought it’d be cool to show those of you who aren’t familiar with the shoe’s history the hugely successful marketing campaign behind the shoe that helped the Air Jordan brand rise to super stardom. The original Air Jordan I colorway of Black, White, and Varsity Red had too many colors for the NBA’s liking, so they were banned. Nike decided to launch a campaign around this ban and paid the $5,000 per game fine that Michael was being assessed by the NBA so that he could continue to wear them. 24 years later, the Air Jordan I is one of the most beloved shoes in any sneakerhead’s collection.
Air Jordan I – “Banned” Commercial

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