The Air Jordan Collection - Part I

The Air Jordan line is arguably the greatest basketball shoe collection in history, inspired by arguably the greatest basketball player in history.

Before I review the latest Air Jordan in the collection (Air Jordan 2010), I thought a trip down memory lane, along with some of my thoughts and insights, on the previous 24 models would be a fun thing to do.

Air Jordan I

Michael Jordan was initially reluctant to wear the shoe stating that the predominantly red/black/white colorway were “devil colors”. It was rumored that his “Airness” preferred Converse (his 1st Choice) or Adidas over the "Swoosh". We can probably thank Michael’s dad and agent for convincing the then fresh out of college sophomore to sign with Nike since Converse and Adidas didn’t offer anything better. And as MJ set off on his 1st NBA season to rewrite the record books, the Air Jordan I went on to set sales records amidst fines (which Nike gladly paid for) imposed by the NBA for violating the league uniform policy. But despite all the initial success, Nike (and the Air Jordan brand) wasn’t out of the woods just yet…

Air Jordan II

Michael Jordan claimed his first slam dunk crown wearing the Air Jordan II’s but it did little to prevent him from seriously thinking about leaving Nike for good. The Air Jordan II was the first shoe not to use the “Swoosh” logo. Instead, a “Wings” Air Jordan logo was used but the shoe wasn’t received favorably by the general public and sales of the AJII suffered.

Air Jordan III

Enter Tinker Hatfield. He can probably be attributed to saving the Air Jordan from extinction while at the same time bringing it to iconic status. Tinker involved Michael in the design process (something not commonly practiced at the time) and what they came up with was nothing short of ground breaking. Two words…”Elephant Print". Michael rededicated himself to Nike, won his second slam dunk title and sales of the AJIII went through the roof.