AWARDS

AIR JORDAN 1 MID

Jordan’s athletic leaping ability, highlighted in his back-to-back Slam Dunk Contest championships in 1987 and 1988, is credited by many people with having influenced a generation of young players. Several NBA players—including LeBron James and Dwyane Wade—have stated that they considered Jordan their role model while they were growing up. In addition, commentators have dubbed a number of next-generation players “the next Michael Jordan” upon their entry to the NBA, including Penny Hardaway, Grant Hill, Allen Iverson, Bryant, James, Vince Carter, and Wade. Although Jordan was a well-rounded player, his “Air Jordan” image is also often credited with inadvertently decreasing the jump shooting skills, defense, and fundamentals of young players, a fact Jordan himself has lamented.

Ithink it was the exposure of Michael Jordan; the marketing of Michael Jordan. Everything was marketed towards the things thatt people wanted to see, which was scoring and dunking. That Michael Jordan still played defense and an allaround game, but it was never really publicized.

During his heyday, Jordan did much to increase the status of the game.t Television ratings increased only during his time in the league. The popularity of the NBA in the U.S. declined after his last title. As late as 2020, Finals ratings had not returned to the level reached during his last championship-winning season. In August 2009, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts, opened a Michael Jordan exhibit that contained items from his college and NBA careers, as well as from the 1992 “Dream Team”. The exhibit also has a batting glove to signify Jordan’s short career in Minor League Baseball. After Jordan received word of his acceptance into the Hall of Fame, he selected Class of 1996 member David Thompson to ptresent him. As Jordan would later explain during his induction speech in September 2009, when he was growing up in North Carolina, he was not a fan of the Tar Heels and greatly admired Thompson, who played at rival North Carolina State. In September, he was inducted into the Hall with several former Bulls teammates in attendance, including Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Charles Oakley, Ron Harper, Steve Kerr, and Toni Kukoč. Two of Jordan’s former coaches, Dean Smith and Doug Collins, were also among those present. His emotional reaction during his speech—when he began to cry—was captured by Associated Press photographer Stephan Savoia and would later go viral on social media as the Crying Jordan Internet meme. In 2016, President Barack Obama honored Jordan with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

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HISTORY

Air Jordan (sometimes abbreviated AJ) is an American brand of basketball shoes, athletic, casual, and style clothing produced by Nike. Founded in Chicago, Air Jordan was created for Hall of Fame basketball player and six-time NBA Finals MVP Michael Jordan during his time with the Chicago Bulls. The original Air Jordan sneakers were produced exclusively for Michael Jordan 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. In 1984, the first Air Jordan was produced for Michael Jordan during his time with the Chicago Bulls and designed by Peter C. Moore. The red and black colorway of the Nike Air Ship, the prototype for the Jordan I, was later outlawed by then NBA Commissioner David Stern for having very little white on them (this rule, known as the “51 percent” rule, was repealed in the late 2000s). After the Nike Air Ship was banned, Michael Jordan and Nike introduced the Jordan I in colorways with more white, such as the “Chicago” and “Black Toe” colorways. They used the Nike Air Ship’s ban as a promotional tool in advertisements, hinting that the shoes gave an unfair competitive advantage. Retro became known in 1994, 2001–2004, and 2007 to the present. Along with the introduction of the Retro Air Jordan line ups, the brand has elevated to a household notoriety with star-struck collaborations and unique limited releases.