18 Aug 2014

25 Jordan Facts That Will Blow Your Mind

by Mr. Sole | posted in: Pure News | 0

Air Jordans have been around for almost 30 years now and the brand, along with the sneakers, have plenty of back story and interesting facts you may not know about. From MJ’s favorite model to hidden messages you can only see under a black light, you’re sure to come away with a lot more knowledge about Jordans than you knew when you woke up. Jordan sneakers have worldwide appeal and if the frenzied hunger of today’s sneaker market continues, Air Jordans will continue to reign supreme for another 30 years.

Playin' Favorites Michael Jordan recently admitted while he loves all of his sneaker children, he has the highest affinity for 11s, followed closely by the 3s, 12s, and 13s.

First Time For Everything In an interview with Cigar Aficionado back in 2005, MJ admitted that he had never even worn a Nike sneaker prior to signing with them in 1985.

These GOATs Ain't Loyal Despite his long-standing relationship with Nike, Converse and adidas were actually MJ’s favorite kicks during his days at UNC.

Unsung Hero Michael Jordan’s agent, David Falk, is actually the man credited with the idea of pairing him with Bugs Bunny for a feature length film which would eventually become Space Jam. That movie would bring MJ even more worldwide fame, and of course some highly coveted inspired sneakers in the process.

Money In The Bank Despite only being sold for $65 a pair, Nike raked in $130 million off Jordans in it’s debut year of sales.

The Devil Is A Lie Upon seeing the first black/red (“Bred”) colorway of the Jordan I, MJ balked telling designer Peter Moore, “I can’t wear that shoe. Those are Devil colors.”

No Flex Zone

The 2001 “True Blue” Air Jordan 3 Retro was the first re-release of an original colorway NOT to feature “Nike Air” on the back heel.

Shinin' On 'Em Inspired by reflective material normally used on running shoes, the Air Jordan 5 became the first basketball shoe to ever utilize 3M material.

Lemme Upgrade You Not only did the Air Jordan 2 not feature any Nike Swoosh branding, but it is also the first and only Jordan model made in Italy of Italian leather.

Speed Kills The Jordan 5 was partly inspired by flames found on speedy WW2 planes. MJ and Tinker would talk about on-court speed and “zigging” while the other players were “zagging,” hence, the flames point forward instead of backward.

You're A Life-Saver Tinker Hatfield’s insubordination after MJ’s retirement kept the line from dying completely. He was told to stop designing for the Jordan line, but he never did. Thank God for that.

Form Follows Function The famous, or infamous, depending on who you ask, “icy” outsole on the Air Jordan 11 isn’t just for aesthetic purposes. It’s in place to keep the rubber from hardening and also provides additional traction on the court.

Lost One Due to his retirement, the Air Jordan IX was never worn by MJ on-court as a member of the Chicago Bulls. He did, however, wear them with the Wizards.

Pay The Cost To Be The Boss The Air Jordan 17 was the first basketball sneaker to hit the $200 retail mark.

Signing Off In Style In what he thought would be his final game against the Knicks at MSG, MJ wore a pair of Jordan Is and proceeded to stuff the box score with 47 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals, effectively signing the deed to Madison Square Garden and making it his own personal basketball Terrordome.

On The Low The circular panel near the ankle of the Jordan 21 has a special “glow-in-the-dark” message that can only be seen under black light.

Lighter Than Air When the Jordan XX9 officially hits the market, it will be the lightest Air Jordan ever made as it features a revolutionary, one-piece woven upper that moves naturally and comfortably with your foot.

Jokes On You Jim Jackson (NJ Nets) scored 33 on MJ during the 1996-97 season while wearing Air Jordans. He trash-talked Michael so bad that MJ just had to point out that the only reason Jim was playing so well is because he was actually wearing Jordans during the game.

What's In Your Wallet? Nike has made a mint off of Michael Jordan and his likeness. Although the terms of MJ’s deal with the folks in Beaverton is under lock-and-key, estimates state that he takes home upwards of $60 million per year.

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