Nike’s revolutionary entrance into the world of basketball came as a splash, but its popularity was greatly aided by the NBA, although unintentionally. David Falk, the longtime agent of Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan, recalled how the league banned the Air Jordan 1 shoe that is now infamously known as “The Banned” edition due to its bold black and red colors: “So they make the first shoe, the black and red one. Michael wears it to practice and the league immediately bans the shoes,” said Falk as a guest on The Business of Sports podcast. “They ban it, they say it doesn’t conform with the team’s uniform colors. And (Rob) Strasser calls me up in a panic and he says, ‘Goddammit. We just paid him all this money, he can’t even freakin’ wear the shoe.’”