Since its debut in 1985, the Nike Air Jordan sneakers have been more than a basketball shoe in the black community. They have become everything from a fashion accessory to a status symbol.
“Jordans came out as a rebel sneaker,” said Jason Johnson, a shoe expert and owner of Bob’s Classic Kicks in downtown Detroit. “They were banned from the NBA because of the color. It came in as a rebel. Over the years, (Jordan) changed the whole game.”
When Nike debuted the red and black Air Jordan shoes during Michael Jordan’s rookie year in 1985, the league fined him $5,000. Nike paid the fines because of all of the exposure Jordan gave the shoes.
“Jordan had that presence with the youth,” Johnson said. “He became a pop icon. Nike saw that in him. He commanded that presence when he came in the room.”
Jordan’s iconic status made the shoes a must-have item, even among a group of kids who never saw him play in his glory days in Chicago: “These kids have seen the Washington Jordan, not the Chicago Jordan,” Johnson said
In the early 1990s, at the height of hip-hop’s Renaissance period, the shoes became synonymous with rap music and hip-hop culture. In many cities — including Detroit, Chicago, and New York — the shoes became popular targets for thieves as people were often mugged, and in some cases killed, over Jordans.
“You saw it on all the Spike Lee movies and the hip-hop culture picked up on it,” said Antonio Jones, a DJ and “sneaker head” from Detroit. “Once they embraced Jordan like that, it was like if you got his sneaker, you were the man.
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