Your Airness

An exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the making of the coveted Air Jordan 1 high OG Dior sneaker.

- Farhan Shah

Michael Jordan and Nike might be synonymous with each other now, but before the former embarked on his basketball career, he was a rookie, who famously wanted to sign with either Converse or Adidas. Nike was never on his radar; Jordan didn’t rate the brand highly and considered it a step down from its two sporting contemporaries.

Jordan’s long-time agent David Falk was the man responsible for convincing him to sign on the dotted line back in 1984. “I thought Nike was the hungriest for Michael – that they needed him the most,” Falk revealed in an episode of ESPN’s The Boardroom that recently aired. The US$2.5 million (S$3.6 million) Nike dangled in front of Jordan certainly helped.

The brand created the Air Jordan 1 (AJ1) sneaker specifically for him to wear on the basketball court. A month later, the National Basketball Association banned the kicks. Instead of lamenting its ill fortune, Nike capitalised on the ban with a marketing campaign revolving around its rebellious nature.