Air Jordan 1 “Banned”

One of Nike’s greatest marketing campaigns came when the NBA banned Michael Jordan from wearing the Air Jordan 1. Nike gladly ponied up the money each time and urged Jordan to continue wearing the sneakers.Every time Jordan wore the sneakers he was hit with a $5,000 fine for violating the than effective uniform policy.  On the flip side of things, Nike built an entire marketing campaign around the leagues decision to ban the Air Jordan 1, labeling the sneakers to good to be allowed in the NBA.
Jordan Brand relives those moments 25 years ago with the Air Jordan 1 “Banned”.When preview images of the sneakers surfaced back in August the Jumpman logo’s across the tongue and heel, and the Air Jordan wings logo along the ankle, were all covered over with a black X. Using the black and red “Bred” colorway, the Air Jordan 1 appears as natural as it did back in 1985 when it was banned.  This new image of the Air Jordan 1 “Banned”, provided by Fat Joe via Twitter, shows the sneakers no longer included the X’s. Instead, a red x is included on the side of the box. If you ask up, the X’s over the logo’s is what really made the Air Jordan 1 “Banned” cool. Without them, this is simply just another Air Jordan 1 reissue with a slight modification to the box.

At this time it’s believed the sneakers are still in the sample stage with no official word yet on whether or not they’ll actually release. When and if further details unfold, we’ll let you know.