As legend has it, Michael Jordan’s first signature sneaker, the Air Jordan 1, was banned by the NBA for not conforming to the league’s uniform code. In actuality, the shoe that the NBA banned MJ from wearing his rookie season was a black and red Nike Air Ship.
Ahead of the premiere of episodes three and four of ESPN’s The Last Dance last night, player agent Aaron Goodwin shared photos of one of two pairs of original Nike Air Ships that were created for Michael Jordan in his rookie season in 1984, before the Air Jordan line’s inception in 1985.
During this year’s All-Star celebrations, Jordan Brand released a white and red Air Ship in the “New Beginnings” pack, the first time the model had been re-issued since its 1984 debut. The pack currently goes for around $1500 on StockX.
As only two pairs of the Banned Nike Air Ships exist, paired with the fact that these are actually signed by Michael Jordan, makes these legendary kicks extremely valuable. Grab a detailed look at MJ’s Banned Air Ships below.
Since it’s another #TheLastDance Sunday, I had to bring out the top kicks in my collection. True grails! One of the first two pairs of @Jumpman23 sneakers @Nike gave MJ in 1984. The real “Banned” Air Jordans (AKA the Air Ship). And no, I didn’t buy these! – AG pic.twitter.com/H97kAYuSCp
— GSM (@GoodwinSports) April 26, 2020