[jwplayer PJni4TKd]
With the basketball community revisiting the glory days of Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in “The Last Dance” documentary, plenty of stories have been told in the days since its debut on April 19.
Jordan helped transform basketball in Chicago upon entering the league during the 1984-85 season. The Bulls instantly became a must-watch team in the NBA as Jordan went on to win the Rookie of the Year award.
Of course, one story that has been retold several times involves the NBA banning His Airness from wearing the Air Jordans when they first debuted in 1984. The iconic Jordan 1s did not adhere to uniform guidelines enforced by the NBA as players at the time were required to wear mostly white shoes and they had to match the team uniform.
Jordan first wore the shoe, which was mostly black and red, in the preseason. They were eventually dubbed the “Banned” Jordan 1s and the legend has it that Jordan was fined $5,000 each time he wore the shoe, though he is not seen wearing the shoe in the regular season. Jordan would wear the shoe in 1985 Slam Dunk Contest.
It has been said that Jordan originally wanted to sign with Adidas and had no intention of joining Nike but eventually joined the Swoosh and launched one of the most successful shoe brands in history.
“The Last Dance” airs each Sunday at 9 p.m. ET through May 18.
[lawrence-related id=15757,15521,15746]
[vertical-gallery id=14709]