According to legend, in the 1980s the National Basketball Association had rules for professional players. They were not allowed to wear any color other than the team's uniform and their shoes must have a certain amount of white.
In 1984, the NBA commissioner at the time David Stern sent a letter to the Chicago Bulls rookie shooting guard with jersey number 23 wearing a pair of black and red sneakers with very little white.
Michael Jordan was the sole owner of these shoes, a custom-made Nike Air Ship prototype,Panerai Luminor Base Replica which had been designed by Peter C. Moore, a designer for the sportswear company.
The letter David Stern sent to Nike about Jordan's prototype shoes.
Michael Jordan in 1985 Dunk Contest wearing the Air Jordan 1. Image via Getty/Andrew D. Bernstein
According to some versions, a $5000 penalty was levied if Michael wore the prototype after he had received the warning. Michael defied the commissioner by wearing his custom sneakers to court, and Nike (probably happily) paid the fine.
This last part could have been a clever marketing strategy that is now part of legend.panerai radiomir replica What is certain, however, is that this pair of prototypes became the legendary Air Jordan 1s. Nike continues to release the Jordan 1 in many variations. Jordan fans and sneakerheads are always eagerly awaiting each new pair.