Why Were Air Jordans Banned From The NBA?

There are few things in the sneaker world quite as legendary as the red and black Air Jordan 1 silhouette. Dubbed the Jordan 1 ‘Banned’, the story behind this pair of infamous Nike sneakers is one of rebellion, attitude and a whole lotta cash.

The ‘Banned’ story is still one that is heavily debated to this day. But surely the facts are all there to see? Well, we thought so too but over the forty years since the Jordan 1 was first banned, different accounts from people such as legendary Nike designer Peter Moore to even then NBA Commissioner David Stern tell a different story.

Speaking on the matter in the 2019 Documentary Unbanned: The Legend of AJ1, retired NBA Commissioner David Stern said, “They didn’t comply with league rules but they were never banned”. So if the NBA Commissioner said the Bred Jordan 1 was not banned in the first place then surely that is the case closed, right?

Well not quite, because Peter Moore, the man who created the Jordan 1 said “David Stern banned Air Jordan, there’s no question.” So it is then a matter of who to believe, do we believe Nike’s version of events or the NBA’s? There is almost no right answer.

That being said, a recent eBay listing from ShoeZeum could be enough to sway your decision. Owner of the ShoeZeum account Jordan Geller is about as serious when it comes to sneakers as anyone on planet earth. Listing an internal Nike Newsletter from 1985, the letter reads, “Actually, the shoes weren’t banned…For its part, the NBA didn’t mind being cast as the heavy in a commercial.” As this new piece of information is made public, it is now clear that the ban according to Nike itself, was indeed fiction. This does not take away from the brilliant storytelling, a feat which only a brand like Nike could have pulled off in the first place.

Of course everyone remembers Nike’s infamous commercial that said, “On Sept. 15, Nike created a revolutionary new basketball shoe. Oct. 18, the NBA threw them out of the league.” As far as the Swoosh is concerned, the Air Jordan 1 was banned in 1984.

However, like all the other details in this story, the exact date that the shoe was banned is up for debate. The NBA sent the infamous letter to Nike on February the 25th 1985 after Michael Jordan had worn the black and red Jordan 1 during the Slam Dunk contest at All-Star weekend earlier that month. Matching his Jordans to his Chicago Bulls jersey was clearly not enough for the league as the white midsoles did not account for over 51% of the shoe.

Placing a piece of white tape on the foul line, Jordan would then perform a flying dunk that sent a wave of applause around the Market Square Arena in Indianapolis. All eyes were glued to MJ’s shoes and history had been made.

As Jordan created such an impression, the NBA had no option but to send Nike a follow up. The letter reads,

“Gentlemen. In accordance with our conversations, this will confirm and verify that the National Basketball Association's rules and procedures prohibited the wearing of certain red and black NIKE basketball shoes by Chicago Bulls player Michael Jordan on or around October 18, 1984.”

The letter also mentions October 18 1994, the date of a preseason game that Jordan played at Madison Square Garden. On that day Jordan took to the court in a pair of black and red Nike Air Ships, making it officially the first time Michael broke NBA rules and regulations for footwear.

Although no footage exists of the game, there are a number of black and white photos which show Jordan dunking in the Air Ships. After the game, the NBA contacted Nike telling them that the shoes were not in compliance with the uniformity rules.

The NBA in the ‘80s was very different to the NBA of today. Concerned about sponsorships and endorsements, the league rules were a lot more strict, especially when it came to dress codes.

The rule that was actually broken by Nike was the one that stated ‘shoes worn by athletes must be 51% white and must match the shoes worn by their teammates’. Apart from the white midsole, the pair on Jordan’s feet were mostly black and red apart, therefore breaking the stated regulations.

The NBA was a team sport, so the fact that Jordan would stick out by wearing these coloured shoes did not sit well with the league. The Executive Vice President of the NBA at the time, Russel Granik, commented on the matter by saying, “I was told that we had a problem cause the shoe had too much black in it and if we weren’t careful we’d end up with five players on the court for a team running around in five different coloured shoes. We didn’t think that reflected well on the team notion.”

It was not as though the Air Ship or Jordan 1 had a technical advantage over all the other shoes that were on court. Moore had designed the outsole to help Michael pivot and cut, refining the traction pattern to suit his playing style, but this was not miles apart from the tech found in competitors such as the adidas Top Ten or Converse Weapon.

As the current NBA Commissioner Adam Silver describes, “it wasn’t that the league was saying you can’t wear this special tread as its going to give you a competitive advantage. It was fashion. It was about a red pair of shoes.”

The main reason why Jordan’s black and red basketball shoes were banned was because they posed a threat to the NBA’s image. Not knowing what reaction the shoe would cause had the higher ups worried. Nike knew this, turning a combination of rubber and leather into a symbol of rebellion.

Now-a-days everyone is aware about the $5000 dollar fine that Nike had to pay each time Jordan wore the shoes on court. In 2025, that sum adjusted for inflation is actually closer to $15,000, which is a number that stings a lot more.

While there is no final number on how much Nike had to fork out for MJ’s rookie season, if they had to fork out any money at all, some details have also been uncovered by the retired head of Nike DNA (Department of Nike Archives) as to how much the brand was fined after the 1984 Air Ship incident.

According to retired Nike Historian Scott Reames, “the initial fine is said to be $5,000 per game, which would be $400,000 for the full season. In reality, the NBA initially levied a fine of $1,000, and Strasser said he'd write a check for $80,000. However, the NBA bumped the fine for a second violation to $5,000, and then threatened suspension, so Nike capitulated.”

Had Jordan wore the banned shoes for the entire season, we based on a rough estimate that Nike would have been charged around $210,000, which is $635,000 in 2025. Obviously this would not have fit within both Nike’s or Jordan’s budget for that matter, with the GOAT saying “I didn’t have $5000 to give anybody at that stage in my career”.

The heavy fines resulted in Jordan wearing compliant versions of the Nike Air Ship and Jordan 1 for the majority of the 1984/1985 NBA season.

The 2025 version of the Air Jordan 1 Bred marks the seventh time the ‘banned’ shoe will be returning to shelves. This retro is closer than ever to the original Peter Moore first designed, appeasing many true Ogs and collectors who are unable to get their hands on an original 1985 pair. Pouring pain-staking amounts of research into getting this Reimagined Bred ’85 right, the banned myth lives on once more.

While sneakerheads will argue over whether or not the banned retro Jordans are correct, they are in fact missing the point. Like with any great story, the message is what matters. The banned story is one of urban legend, a tale of anti-establishment, one that needs to be retold over and over again.

As the late DJ Clark Kent puts it, “It wasn’t about a date, it wasn’t about who banned it, it wasn’t about the reason why. All that matters is this shoe was out of this world.”