Evolution of the Nike Air Jordan Signature Shoe Sneaker Series: 1984-2023 (2024)

FAQs

How many versions of Jordans are there? ›

Most Air Jordans are labelled with its edition number 1-35. There are 35 editions in total, numbered sequentially, with a new one coming out about once a year since the Air Jordan 1 debuted in 1985.

Air Jordan 1 'Broken Foot Game' sneakers sold for $560,000 in 2020. Air Jordan 12 'Flu Game' shoes were sold at auction for $104,765. The Solid Gold OVO x Air Jordan 10 is the most expensive pair, worth $2 million.

Created for the then-unknown rookie, the Air Jordan 1 was launched on 1 April, 1985 and went on sale for $64.99. Nike expected to sell 100,000 pairs in its first year. Instead, it shipped 1.5m pairs in the first six weeks.

Vintage Original Air Jordan 1 Colorways and Collectibility

The resale value for an original pair of Air Jordan 1s from 1985 can range anywhere from $3,500 to over $25,000, depending on size, condition and colorway.

The Colette Air Jordan 1, originally created only for employees of the store and never released at retail, is counted among the rarest Nike Air Jordan colorways ever made. The limited edition Air Jordan 1s are dressed in Colette's signature white and blue, with its iconic double dot logo featured throughout.

Below is a look at each and every pair of Air Jordan shoes released by Nike, a total of 37 in all (not counting the many colorways and retro variations). Next to each pair is Nike's motto for the shoe (if any) and the year in which they debuted. Shop for popular Air Jordan editions at Nike.

Michael Jordan's 1984 Nike Air Ships sell at $1.47 million at auction. A pair of Michael Jordan's shoes from 1984 sold for almost $1.5 million at Sotheby's on Sunday, setting a record for sneakers at auction. The 1984 Nike Air Ships are Jordan's earliest known regular season game-worn Nikes.

Air Jordan I | Designer : Peter Moore | Released : 1985 | Original Price : $65.

According to Grailed, market prices range from $3,000-$33,000 depending on provenance, condition, accessories, and colorway. All pairs in Otis' collection are deadstock and were purchased for an average price of $6,000/pair.

Air Jordan 1

And predating the Jumpman logo, the OG shoe featured the Wings logo - a basketball with wings stretching from both sides and "Air Jordan" printed above the ball. Nike filed the Wings logo as a trademark on May 7, 1985.

How many Jordans were sold in 1985? ›

The first Air Jordan shoe was released in 1985, and Nike hoped to sell 100,000 pairs in the first year, however, they ended up selling 450,000 pairs in the first month.

The first Air Jordan shoe was produced for basketball player Michael Jordan during his time with the Chicago Bulls in late 1984 and released to the public on April 1, 1985. The shoes were designed for Nike by Peter Moore, Tinker Hatfield, and Bruce Kilgore.

There's a new high mark for sneakerheads. A pair of Air Jordans worn by Michael Jordan in Game 2 of the 1998 NBA Finals sold Tuesday for $2.238 million, the most ever paid for a pair of shoes. That tops the previous record, which was also for a pair of Air Jordans, of $1.47 million in 2021.

In May of 1985 (the end of Jordan's rookie season) the Chicago-Tribune reported over $55 million in sales and expected sales of 3-4 million pairs. Nike sold 1.5 million pairs in the first six weeks of wide release.

Michael Jordan set a number of records throughout his career. Now his sneakers have, too. A pair of the basketball legend's Air Jordan 13s hammered down for $2.2 million at Sotheby's on Tuesday to become the most expensive sneakers to ever have sold.

Retro. A retro of a Jordan is basically a model of sneaker that has been released previously (the OG). They give sneakerheads another chance to cop a pair if they missed the initial release or if they wore out their first pair, especially if the sneaker was really popular or hard to get.

When Michael Jordan made his NBA debut on October 26, 1984, the budding basketball legend wore a pair of white and red sneakers. According to Nike, they were the now famous Air Jordan 1, Jordan's first-ever signature shoe.

How Long Do Jordans Last? Similar to Air Max sneakers, Air Jordans can last around 7-10 years in storage. Occasionally wearing them can increase this time period. Conversely, wearing them daily can accelerate their deterioration.

Look for a manufacturing sticker on the outside of the box. All Air Jordan boxes will have an official manufacturing sticker on the side. Check for the accurate style name of the shoe, the shoe size, color combination, and country of manufacture.

How much was Nike worth in 1984? ›

The Fragment's resale value more than doubles its competition. These shoes were both sold in limited releases, so why did Jordans become so much more expensive? It all has to do with the value of the Jordan brand and how it makes and markets its iconic sneakers.

As Jordan soared on NBA courts, his first signature shoe took off. Nike released the shoe nationally in March 1985. It sold $130 million of them in the first year.

Nike Air Jordan 1 White/Black-Red ('Chicago') Released together with the 'Bred' on 15 September 1985, the 'Chicago' colorway was worn on court by his Airness for the majority of the 1985 season.

The Air Jordan 11 is more than just a shoe; it is a symbol of excellence, elegance, and innovation. It is Michael Jordan's favorite shoe because it reflects his personality and achievements.

Who his starting five would be in a pickup game: Scottie Pippen, Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Hakeem Olajuwon and himself. His favorite shoes: Jordan 11s, Jordan 3s, followed by the 12s or 13s. His most memorable dunk: He still reminds Patrick Ewing of this dunk. "I dunked it so hard on him, it was unbelievable."

In fact, the Jordan 1's secret sauce was very simple: they were made for consumers who may or may not love basketball (who may or may not even play sports) and from any walk of life. And it's this accessibility—which became the 35-model-strong shoe brand Air Jordan—has made the shoe even more legendary today.

There is consistently high resale value for Nike SB Dunks, Nike Dunk collaborations, and Jordan 1s. Black and white Jordans, Red Jordans, Pink Jordans, many pairs sell well above their retail price because they are so coveted in the sneaker community.

While a pair of sneakers that Jordan wore were banned from play, it wasn't the Air Jordan 1. In fact, it was the Jordan 1 precursor — the Nike Air Ship — that was banned because of the color scheme "His Airness" wore.

Why were Jordans banned in 1985? ›

Before that, the Chicago Bulls legend starred in a controversial moment when the NBA banned his shoes. Back in 1984, after debuting his iconic Air Jordan 1 shoe, His Airness was fined by the league $5K every time he wore the black and red kicks. Why? Because their colors broke the league's uniform rules.

Jordan's 1985–86 season was cut short when he broke his foot in the third game of the year, causing him to miss 64 games.

If you liked sports, you would be spotted wearing these Nike Air Jordans in the 80s. This shoe gained its popularity from the NBA star Micheal Jordan. Every kid who was into basketball back in the 80s begged their parents for these shoes.

Launched in 1985, the Air Jordan 1s were Nike's first signature basketball shoe and are still one of the most iconic designs in the history of the sport and streetwear. The shoes were exclusively made for Jordan a year after his rookie season with the Chicago Bulls.

In 1985, Nike released Michael Jordan's first sneaker, the Air Jordan 1, and sneaker culture was born. With vibrant photographs and illustrations throughout, as well as input from some of the sneaker world's most important voices, this compilation is a must-have for hypebeasts and sneakerheads everywhere.

1989 was also the year the first Air Jordan 4 was released. Tinker Hatfield, designer of the iconic Air Jordan 3, was commissioned to make an even greater success of the AJ4. The first worldwide release of the Air Jordan 4 OG came out in four different colorways.

Sotheby's auctioned off Michael Jordan's 1998 NBA Finals sneakers making them the most expensive sneaker ever sold at $2.2 million.

2 billion USD (2023)

Michael Jordan / Net worth

Some would say the quality, but the main factor is the brand name. This is what makes the brand popular. And the more popular a brand is, the more people want to buy it. The more people want to buy it, the higher the price, the higher the “value” of the shoe.

Just two months into the sneaker's release, Nike sold $70 million worth of Air Jordans by May. Ultimately, the Jordan Brand had made the company more than $100 million by the end of the year in 1985.

What is the Jordan 1 lost and found? ›

Caption Options. The first shoe to drop as part of Jordan Brand's 'Reimagined' series (which was followed by the Air Jordan 3 'White Cement' last month), the 'Lost & Found' is an almost one-to-one remake of the original Air Jordan 1 from 1985.

It's been rumored that the highly coveted sneaker is to arrive fully stocked, with 500k pairs available worldwide.

OG: OG is probably one of those sneaker terms you have heard before, it stands for “Original” – although, as aforementioned, it once stood for “Original Gangster.” The term OG may be used to refer to the earliest release of a silhouette, a classic colorway, or a faithful reissue.

Today, some people consider "OG" to mean "original," according to Merriam-Webster. In both cases, the term is used to describe someone or something that is the original or originator, particularly if said person or thing is very respected or highly regarded. An "OG" is extremely talented and authentic in what they do.

Retros are the same models plus some new colorways re-released in later years. OGs obviously hold significant monetary and collector value and are quite rare to find these days. Those who have them, rarely even wear them, if at all. What Air Jordan is your favorite?

To solve this problem, Nike launched the "GS" acronym for their Air Jordan shoe line. GS means "Grade School" and are shoes most likely to fit a grade-schooler. Remember, the GS size is not a specific shoe size but a range of sizes likely to fit grade school students.

On April 16, 2003, Michael Jordan played his final game in the NBA. The shoes on his feet when he took his last bow was the Air Jordan XVIII. Learn more about the Air Jordan 18 by reading below.

Air Jordan Signature Shoes: Power Ranking All 26 Pairs.

In 1984, most NBA regulation basketball sneakers were simply all black or all white. Occasionally, the sneakers were white with the accent color of the team. Moore pushed this idea by creating Jordan 1 in red, black, and white—the Chicago Bulls colors.

What color were the first Air Jordans? ›

The original version came in white, black, and red, a heretofore unprecedented combination of colors on an athletic shoe. They looked unlike any other sneaker on the court. It was a loud and clear proclamation that the old rules did not apply anymore: Air Jordans were not your father's basketball shoe.

A hybrid design of some of the most important models in the Air Jordan line, the Two Trey commemorates the double-digit models #23 wore in his final years as a Chicago Bull.

In the real Air Jordan sneaker model, the Jumpman logo is high-quality and present in an embroidered pattern, whereas in the fake Air Jordan sneaker model, the logo is vinyl or poor embroidery. The "Jumpman" logo is usually present upon the tongue of the sneakers.

The model number (or SKU) of a shoe can be found on a label located on the inside of the shoe tongue. RN stands for registered identification number. It is a number assigned by the FTC to US businesses that manufacture, import, distribute or sell products covered by the textile, wool and fur Acts.