Scary and unlikely as it seems today, were it not for the hard sell by Phil Knight and company and the encouragement of his parents, there may never have been a Nike Air Jordan series.
Luckily, fate and and a lucrative contract changed sneaker history for the better.
Michael Jordan's deal with Nike in 1984 changed the game for athletes' endoresement of products and the marketing behind those endoeresments, to say nothing of what player input did for shoe designs.
When Nike officials released the first Air Jordan on April 1, 1985, it was estimated 100,000 pairs would be sold by year's end. But the unexpected happened. Retailers nationwide sold 450,000 pairs, with a suggested price of $65, in less than a month.
As Jordan established himself as arguably the best player in NBA history, Nike -- and its advertising partner Wieden + Kennedy -- took advantage by dreaming up some of the most memorable commercials of all time.
MJ himself offers some insight on the Air Jordan's longevity and popularity.
"Marketing is great," said Jordan, who worked on most of his shoes with designer Tinker Hatfield. "But eventually you are going to have to live off that product and that product is going to have to stand by itself. That's what we've been able to sustain."
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