It’s one of the most iconic stories in sneaker history, Michael Jordan’s original signature shoe being ‘banned’ by the NBA.
Over the years, the legendary story of the Chicago Bulls star playing in the prohibited shoe and sending the fines straight to Nike has become basketball folklore – even if the basis of the story may not actually be true.
But they say history is doomed to repeat itself, and it seems as if Jordan has once again found himself banned from NBA courts, after the league pulled the plug on an homage to the beginnings of the iconic brand.
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NBA bans ‘banned’ Air Jordan jersey concept
With Air Jordan celebrating its 40th anniversary, the brand will look to champion all of their historic achievements over the last four decades.
One of these planned activations was a play on the original ‘banned’ Air Jordan, with the involvement of the NBA.
In celebration of 40 years of Air Jordan, the Jordan Brand tried to get its Jumpman logo “banned” on the court, but the NBA pulled the plug at the last minute…
Here is what the jerseys were supposed to look like 👀 pic.twitter.com/8dBGhx6CLe
— Complex Sneakers (@ComplexSneakers) January 22, 2025
According to Complex, the NBA had teamed up with Jordan Brand on a range of ‘banned’ jerseys, which would see the Jordan logo partially covered with a black censored bar.
However, in an ironic twist, the NBA pulled out of the idea at the 11th hour, effectively banning the ‘banned’ jerseys.
Images of jerseys for the Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks, and Boston Celtics all appeared online sporting the ‘banned’ logo, now just another ‘what if’ in NBA history.
Why did the NBA ban Air Jordans?
Launched in 1984, the Nike Jordan 1 is widely considered the most iconic sneaker in history, the first step in the legendary rise of Nike basketball and eventually Jordan brand.
A commonly held belief is that the NBA initially banned the shoe, fining Jordan $5,000 every time he wore it on court, a fine Nike was happy to absorb as part of their advertising budget.
However, many now believe that it was the Nike Airship, not the Jordan 1 that was prohibited by the league, with their objections stemming from the colourway not featuring enough white.
Whatever the case may be, Nike took the ‘banned’ story and ran with it – today the black and red (bred) colourway of the shoe is known and the Banned Jordan 1, and its iconography has helped the Jumpman continue to be one of the most important logos in the entire world.
