Why did NBA ban Air Jordans? Michael Jordan and David Stern controversy explained

Michael Jordan and Nike caused quite a stir when the up-and-coming phenom was given his own signature shoe. As the story goes, Nike unveiled the Air Jordan 1 in the black and red ('bred') colorway, earning them a ban from NBA Commissioner David Stern.

At the time, players were only allowed to wear white shoes, however, Nike was willing to foot the $5,000 fine every time Michael Jodan wore the shoes.

The following year, in 1985, the NBA even famously wrote a letter to Nike doubling down on the fact that the colors were banned.

Nike used the situation to its advantage, branding the Air Jordan 1 as the 'banned shoe' for a marketing campaign. The idea of buying a 'banned' shoe was one that appealed to many fans, who in turn flocked to stores to get their hands on them.

Although there was no performance-enhancing element to the shoes, the fact that they were banned by the NBA helped fuel sales. During a BBC Three documentary several years back, footage of former commissioner David Stern talking about the situation surfaced:

"We told Michael and Nike that whatever shoe he was wearing didn't conform so would they please change it. ... It became the shoe that was banned by the NBA with an implication that it was because it made Michael such a good basketball player."

The real Michael Jordan shoe that was banned by the NBA

As Complex wrote back in 2020, there is no photo evidence of Michael Jordan actually wearing the Air Jordan 1 'bred' colorway in a game. What Jordan did wear during his rookie year was the 'Nike Air Ship' a shoe he wore in three different colorways.

The shoe has been largely absent from Nike's re-releases over the years and has never received an updated 'protro' (performance retro) model. Despite that, three colorways, and a special PE (player edition) model were created at the time.

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One of the colorways was designed in the 'bred' style, receiving a ban from the NBA. In addition, The PE model was designed with the signature 'Air Jordan' marking known to fans today, adding to the confusion between the Jordan 1 and the Air Ship.

On October 18, Michael Jordan wore the 'bred' Nike Air Ship shoes during a preseason game at Madison Square Garden. After the game, the NBA dropped the hammer on Nike and the Chicago Bulls, informing Michael Jordan that the shoes violated NBA rules.

Jordan never wore the colorway of the shoe during an official NBA game again.