Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time and one of the best athletes in sports history. The six-time NBA champion became a huge legend with the Chicago Bulls, taking that team from the bottom of the league to the top of the world, showing his quality season after season.
He had to earn his spot on the Bulls roster, and he did it with his game, but when it came to his status in the league, MJ had to fight a little harder. When it came to sneakers, Jordan had to fight some battles with the league, like the time he wore some Penny Hardaway shoes after the NBA fined him for wearing his Concord shoes.
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.
They even sent a letter to Nike, which had a serious of conditions for MJ at the time, telling them the shoe was forbidden in the league, and the then-growing company took the most advantage of that.
Michael Jordan Told David Letterman The Reason Behind His Banned Shoes
In 1985, MJ was interviewed by legendary David Letterman and discussed his situation with the shoes and what really happened there. While David looked very curious about it, MJ was more relaxed and joked about the reason why the association made this decision.
Letterman: “Michael, is this the shoe? Of course, we can’t show what kind of shoe this is. But, is this the shoe that the NBA wouldn’t let you wear? Now, why wouldn’t they let you wear it? ‘Cause it’s ugly?”
Jordan: “Hey, I agree with you. They are ugly.”
Letterman: “Now, wait a minute. Didn’t you help design these?”
Jordan: “The shoe, not the color.”
Letterman: “Okay so what’s wrong with the color? What rule do we violate here?”
Jordan: “Well, it didn’t have any white in it.”
Letterman: “Well, neither does the NBA.”
That was an incredible exchange, with MJ even taking a cheeky dig at the NBA. In the end, those fines helped him and Nike. The Air Jordan 1s are one of the most iconic shoes of all time, even becoming a fashion icon over the years.
Jordan has made the most out of his deal with Nike, earning plenty of millions and taking the company to new levels with the Jordan Brand. It all started with the ‘ugly’ shoes he wasn’t even allowed to wear, but his reluctance and Nike’s vision used that to their advantage, creating what we now know as one of the best sneaker brands in the world.
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