One of the sneaker world’s biggest stories has been attached to the wrong shoe for decades. Michael Jordan did indeed wear black-and-red Nikes during his rookie preseason, and the NBA did have a problem with them. But Nike later turned that controversy into the famous “Banned” Air Jordan 1 story. The only problem was that MJ wasn’t wearing an Air Jordan 1 when it all started.
It Was an Air Ship
Jordan wore a black-and-red pair of Nike Air Ships against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden on October 18, 1984. The reason was pretty simple: the Air Jordan 1 wasn’t ready yet.
Nike creative director Peter Moore later recalled that the black-and-red Air Ships were ordered specifically for Jordan. His first signature shoe didn’t hit stores until 1985.
How the Air Jordan 1 Got the ‘Banned’ Story
The NBA’s letter came in February 1985 and referred to Jordan’s “red and black” shoes without naming a model. That left Nike with a much cleaner story to tell around the Air Jordan 1.
And that famous $5,000 fine Nike supposedly paid every time Jordan wore them? ESPN found no evidence that it actually happened that way.
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The Air Ship Finally Got Its Credit
The Air Ship returned in 2020 as part of the Chicago-exclusive New Beginnings Pack. By then, the Air Jordan 1 had owned the “Banned” story for decades. The truth was messier, but the legend was better for marketing.
