User:Jason.H29/Air Jordan
American brand by Nike / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Air Jordan is a line of basketball shoes and athletic apparel produced by Nike, Inc. The first Air Jordan shoe was produced for Hall of Fame former basketball player Michael Jordan during his time with the Chicago Bulls in late 1984 and released to the public on April 1, 1985.[2][3] The shoes were designed for Nike by Peter Moore, Tinker Hatfield, and Bruce Kilgore.[4][5] The company generated over $5.1 billion in sales, earning Michael Jordan 5% of the revenue, totaling $256 million for that year because of his brand contract.[6]
This article may be written from a fan's point of view, rather than a neutral point of view. (March 2023) |
Product type | Basketball Shoes, Clothing |
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Owner | Nike |
Country | United States |
Introduced | November 17, 1984; 39 years ago (1984-11-17)[lower-alpha 1] |
Markets | Worldwide |
Website | nike.com/jordan |
Air Jordan has also become an iconic cultural symbol.[7] The Jordan Logo, known as the "Jumpman", originated from a photo-shoot done for LIFE Magazine before Jordan played for Team USA in the 1984 Olympic Games, photographed by Jacobus Rentmeester.[8] This photo-shoot was taken before Jordan signed with Nike in 1985, with Jordan wearing his Olympic jumpsuit and New Balances doing a pose identical to the grand jeté ballet technique.[9] Peter Moore, who was in charge of the design team, came across this LIFE magazine issue and Jordan ended up replicating the same pose for the pair of Nike shoes. The “Jumpman” logo has developed and gone through different changes and can be seen on sneakers, attire, hats, socks, and other forms of wear. The logo has also become one of the most recognizable logos in the athletics industry.[10]
The Jordan brand also focuses on philanthropy with many large donations throughout the years to communities, athletes, and schools.[11] The brand pledges to help with pressing issues in black communities through grants to the communities focusing on economic justice, education, social justice, and Narrative changes to the youth.[12]