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Team Jordan shoes appeared back in the mid-90s. Jordan Brand was preparing to separate from Nike. MJ’s brand would remain under Nike’s umbrella, but it would become its own entity. This meant creating a fully-fledged product line. As part of this expansion, the idea of launching “team shoes” came up.
The Air Jordan 3 Pine Green uses some original elements and gives them a much appreciated twist. The silhouette is obviously a classic and going with the 1988 color blocking but mixing the colors up a little bit is just what we needed for a breathe of fresh air. These do not resemble an Oregon exclusive, though we really can’t
Air Jordan 12 “Royal” $ 190 Release Date September 21st, 2020 Style Code CT8013-170 Colorway: White/Black-Metallic Gold Release Date: November 13, 2021 Buy now at Ebay The Air Jordan 12 Royalty looks like a very well-known colorway, but just isn’t it. That doesn’t mean it’s a bad look though. Jordan Brand tweaked things just enough for it to have a
The Air Jordan 14 Winterized is Jordan Brand’s way of telling us to prepare for the upcoming cold weather. These are a little jarring at first, but the color and silhouette eventually come together for those who give these some time. This was a totally unexpected version of this signature shoe. There are other, more popular colorways that long time
The Jordan Q Flight is another one of those shoes that have been forgotten, but were real bad boys back in the day. Crazy to think it’s been 10 years. These offer some of the best technology available in 2011. They really went under the radar because of the big brother flagship shoe’s release. It’s one of those things that
The Air Jordan 5 Bluebird is for all the ladies out there who love Jordans, or those who just love a lot baby blue or powder blue on their feet. We think it’s a nice looking colorway. What makes it even better is that the materials aren’t half-bad. The brand has specifically said that these are for the winter though
The Air Jordan 5 Orange Blaze looks like a very recognizable and coveted colorway, and yet doesn’t have that name attached to it. Most everything about this particular version looks fire, from the OG reflective tongue to the nice materials, but there are also some things that longtime sneakerheads might have a hard time fathoming. But, this colorway looks good,
The Jordan Q Flight is another one of those shoes that have been forgotten, but were real bad boys back in the day. Crazy to think it’s been 10 years. These offer some of the best technology available in 2011. They really went under the radar because of the big brother flagship shoe’s release. It’s one of those things that
36 years and still going strong. The Air Jordan 36 Performance Review is here.
The Air Jordan 6 Gold Hoops is for the ladies. With just the right pink hits in all the right places, these will catch your eye. But, that’s not the only thing that will. They literally have hoops on them, which we figure is an acquired taste. The colorway, though, is so clean that it just might make up for
The Air Jordan 6 Electric Green is a shoe that was thought to sell out, but really didn’t – at least not in store. There’s so much to like about these and we’re glad we still got to cop a pair for retail. This particular version looks just like a PE for a certain school, which is cool for those
The Jumpman Pro Strong USA is back for the first time since 1998. Don’t get us wrong. Jordan Brand did not make these exactly like the original Team Jordan great, but when did they ever? What we get is something close enough to the OG that we can’t really be too mad. With a familiar look from a more expensive
The Air Jordan 4 White Oreo is not a collaboration with another brand, but the internet has its ways. This, for many, is a classic colorway, even though it isn’t an original one. It can be looked at as an alternate colorway of an earlier Retro Plus release of the same Air Jordan model. Whatever the case may be, these
It’s crazy to think that the Jordan Brand almost didn’t happen. Can you imagine Michel Jordan rocking Adidas? If had been up to MJ at the time, that’s what would have happened.
When the GOAT was entering the league and fielding sponsorship offers, Nike was pretty low on his list. At the time, Nike was a struggling running shoe brand on the mend, concentrated on reinventing itself as a company for sports superstars.
Jordan really wanted to sign with Adidas, but the German sneaker brand wasn’t able to put together an offer as the company was undergoing a leadership shift at the time.
Converse also tried to bring MJ on board. Mike had rocked Converse in college playing for UNC (University of North Carolina) and was already familiar with the brand and what it brought to the table. But Converse already had several NBA superstars signed and Magic Johnson and Larry Bird were the faces of the brand. Converse made an offer, but apparently Michel wasn’t impressed and felt he would be just another basketball player on their already stellar roster of sponsored athletes.
Still, Michel wasn’t sure about signing with Nike. Even after Nike offered MJ $500,000 a year for five years, Jordan took the offer to Adidas and to see if the brand could get “anywhere close” to the offer. But Adidas turned him down. Hindsight is 20/20, but it’s still crazy to think Adidas passed on Mike.
Nike became Jordan’s best option by default and it ended up being a match made in heaven. Nike wanted to build an entire “brand inside the brand” around Jordan and his superhuman ability to dunk.
The Air Jordan I was released in April of 1985 and they were an instant hit. By May, Nike had sold $70 million worth of the shoes. INSANE. By the end of the year, Air Jordan had made Nike more than $100 million. Phil Knight, Nike’s co-founder, summed up the success of the Air Jordan 1’s as “the perfect combination of quality product, marketing, and athlete endorsement.”
