"It's Gotta Be The Shoes" – Air Jordan 1
Air Jordan 1 (1984 – 86)
A Year of Controversies
The shoe that started it all – Michael Jordan was reportedly hesitant to wear the original black & red Air Jordan 1’s because he said they ‘were the Devil’s colors. How ironic, as these ‘dark demonic shoes’ triggered a hellfire of controversy that would catapult the Air Jordan brand into the stratosphere. Three games into MJs rookie year with the Bulls, the NBA banned the shoe because it didn’t conform to the rest of the Bulls Uniform and his teammate’s shoes. But MJ kept on wearing them and David Stern started fining him. Initially it started out approximately at $1000 a game, and then it went to $3000 and eventually $5000 a game. Nike however stood by MJ and was happy to pay the fines, because it would have cost millions of dollars more to produce an ad that generated as much publicity as the NBA’s ban.
As a result, Nike produced this ad (see below) which resulted in sales skyrocketing, just as much as MJ’s performances on the court and celebrity status off it.
Highlight Reel Performance
Another controversy that was again ironically caused by Air Jordan’s clothing merchandise led arguably to one of MJ’s finest performances with the Air Jordan 1’s. In the 1985 All Star weekend, MJ was promoting his first Air Jordan sweats by wearing them during his first Slam Dunk contest. Some players, in particularly Detroit playmaker Isiah Thomas thought MJ was being disrespectful because he wasn’t wearing his team’s uniform during the Dunk contest and thought his self promotion of his Air Jordan merchandise was stealing the limelight off the other more established veteran All-Stars. As a result, Isiah Thomas orchestrated the All-Star “freeze-out” by conspiring with teammates to deprive MJ of the ball in his inaugural All Star game. When news of this covert “freeze-out” was leaked out, it enraged MJ so much that he decided to inflict his vengeance on Isiah via the greatest means possible: on the basketball court. Right after the All-Star break, MJ’s Bulls coincidently played Isiah’s Pistons. MJ tormented the Pistons for a then rookie career high of 49 points (on a sizzling 19 of 31 FG shooting), 15 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals as he led his Bulls to a 139-126 OT victory. By contrast, Isiah was held to 19 pts on 5 of 15 shooting.
That would be the start of one of the NBA’s greatest rivalries between Jordan’s Bulls and the Detroit Piston ‘Bad Boys’ of Isiah Thomas and Bill Laimbeer.
Air Jordan 1 – Rookie of the Year
MJ’s inaugural season with the Air Jordan 1 reaped tremendous dividends. He averaged 28.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists per game and 2.4 steals, being one of a few rookies in NBA history to lead his team in scoring, rebound, assists and steals. In addition MJ joined Oscar Robertson at the time as the only players in NBA history to have averaged at least 20 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assist in their rookie seasons (Lebron James has since joined this illustrious company). For his efforts, MJ was awarded the NBA’s Rookie of the Year, beating out arguably the strongest draft class ever in fellow hall of famers Hakeem Olajuwon, Charles Barkley and John Stockton. MJ also was selected to the All NBA Second Team.
Air Jordan 1 – Sophomore Season
Arguably MJ’s greatest game in the Air Jordan 1’s came in his abbreviated second season, when he lit up the mighty Boston Celtics for a Playoff record 63 points. His performance compelled the NBA’s undisputed number one player at the time, Larry Bird to comment that he thought he was ‘God disguised as Michael Jordan!’ At the time the Celtics were not only compiling their greatest season in the 80’s but also statistically the best home season record in NBA history, losing just 1 game at Boston Garden for the entire 1985-86 season and playoffs. Yet that didn’t deter a young Michael Jordan, as he was keen to make up lost time for missing 64 games due to a foot injury by almost engineering one of the greatest Playoff upsets in NBA history. Although he ultimately fell short, he did push the mighty Celtics to double overtime in this classic encounter.
The Air Jordan 1 makes a Comeback
If you thought that the Air Jordan 1 was just limited to MJ’s first two seasons, then think again. In March 8, 1998 the Bulls paid the New York Nicks a visit at Madison Square Garden, arguably MJ’s favourite court (besides the old Chicago Stadium) for the final time that season. He reveres the Garden so much he often refers to it as the ‘Mecca of basketball’ To honor his final appearance at Madison Square Garden (as a Chicago Bull) and to show his appreciation to his beloved New York fans, he decided to put an encore by lacing up his Air Jordan 1’s…and then preceded to put in a scintillating show on the court! MJ torched the Knicks for 42 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals in a 102-89 Bulls victory, not only cementing his love affair with the tough NYK fans, but also cementing the legacy of the Air Jordan 1 shoe.
It’s gotta be the shoes for sho! No pun intended.
Next – Air Jordan II