Air Jordan 1: Banned by the NBA, Beloved by Fans

The Most Valuable Air Jordan 1s: Breaking the Rules and Making a Stand

It was the sneaker that started it all for the Jordan Brand. The Air Jordan 1 — or when originally released in 1985, the Air Jordan — was the debut signature sneaker for Michael Jordan. This iconic sneaker was designed by Peter Moore, who also designed the Air Jordan Wings logo. The Air Jordan 1 was the first Nike designed for then-NBA rookie Michael Jordan, who entered the league in 1984.

At first, Jordan was hesitant about signing an endorsement deal with Nike, an upstart sneaker brand in basketball at the time. Jordan's first two choices were Adidas and Converse, but the player opted to sign with Nike at the nudging of his parents and agent David Falk. What Nike offered Jordan that was different from the other established sneaker companies at the time was a signature sneaker.

Jordan started out his NBA career wearing the Nike Air Ship, which caught the eye of NBA commissioner David Stern. Before Jordan could debut his first signature sneaker on the court, the NBA banned the shoe for its predominantly black and red color scheme.

NBA league rules during that era mandated that sneakers be at least fifty percent white and match the team's colors. Fines started at $1,000 per game and could rise to $5,000. The NBA's ban on the shoes turned out to be the best thing for building hype. Nike offered to pay all fines and ran with the storytelling in sneaker advertisements. "Fortunately, the NBA can't stop you from wearing them" the commercial's voiceover stated.

Jordan defiantly wore the black and red — aka "bred" — colorway of the Air Jordan 1 during the 1985 NBA Slam Dunk Contest. Although Jordan lost that dunk contest to Dominique Wilkins in the final round, the sneakers were made even more popular by gaining a national audience. The following NBA season, Jordan broke his foot after three games.

The injury caused Nike to modify the Air Jordan 1 to better suit Jordan's injury. Player-exclusive pairs of the Air Jordan 1 with an Air Jordan 2 sole were created, as well as a version of the Air Jordan 1 buttressed with hidden straps. There was also a version of the Air Jordan 1 made with a Nike Dunk sole.Michael Jordan had an iconic moment in the Air Jordan 1 in 1986 during the NBA Playoffs against the Boston Celtics. He scored a career playoff high of 63 points in the shoes.The popularity of Michael Jordan cemented the Air Jordan 1's status in the sneaker culture, and was integral in helping to create a sneaker culture. The shoe was first retroed in 1994 and has since become a staple among collectors.

Since its original release, the Air Jordan 1 has spawned a variety of heights and cuts, including low-top, mid-cut and updated cushioning. The silhouette has also been used as a canvas for collaborations from artists like Travis Scott, fashion houses such as Christian Dior and streetwear collaborations like Off-White.

Iconic Features and Streamlined Design of the Air Jordan 1

The original Air Jordan 1 silhouette shares many characteristics of the Nike Dunk, which also released in the same year. Similarities include color-blocking on the overlays, Nike Swoosh branding on the side and a perforated toe box. The Air Jordan 1 is different in that it features a slimmer profile than the Nike Dunk and has the iconic Air Jordan Wings logo on the collar. The original retail price for the 1985 Air Jordan 1 was $65 and the most popular colorways were White/Black/Red, White/Red and Black/Red. There were also numerous other color palettes on the Air Jordan 1 that were released during the 1980s.

Vintage Original Air Jordan 1 Colorways and Collectibility

While OG colorways of the Air Jordan 1 have been re-released several times, vintage pairs of the sneaker from the 1980s and 1990s are still very valuable and highly sought-after. The resale value for an original pair of Air Jordan 1s from 1985 can range anywhere from $3,500 to over $25,000, depending on size, condition and colorway. Most of these original pairs will be in used condition, but the value will be higher if the sneakers are only lightly worn.

Still, most pairs likely won't be wearable. Color combinations of White/Black/Red (4280) and Black/Red (4281), the Chicago Bulls and banned colorways, are the most highly sought-after. Values of these vintage Air Jordan 1s increase when they come in their original packaging. There are also vintage pairs of the first Air Jordan 1 retro from 1994 on the sneaker resale market.

Colorways of this sneaker in White/Red-Black/Red have a resale value ranging from $1,200 to $5,000 depending on colorway, size and condition.

The most expensive and valuable Air Jordan 1s are the ones that were actually worn by Michael Jordan. Sotheby's sold a game-worn sample pair of White/Red original Air Jordan 1s that were autographed by Michael Jordan for $560,000. This version of the sneaker was a player sample created specifically for Michael Jordan with one foot being a size 13 and the other being a size 13.5 to accommodate MJ's feet.

Another game-worn pair of the OG Air Jordan 1 that Jordan wore during an exhibition game in 1985 — featuring shards of glass embedded in the left shoe as a result of a backboard-shattering Michael Jordan dunk — was sold through Christie's for over $600,000 in 2020.

Designer Collaborations, Colorways and Collectibility of the Air Jordan 1

Several collaborators from various backgrounds have used the Air Jordan 1 silhouette as a canvas for sneaker collabs. Virgil Abloh, designer of the Off-White label, designed a version of the Air Jordan 1 as part of his Nike collection called "The Ten." The Off-White x Air Jordan 1 features a deconstructed take on the sneaker with exposed foam on the tongue, floating Swoosh branding and lines of text on the shoe. The Off-White x Air Jordan 1 was created in four colorways:

White/Dark Powder Blue (AQ0818-148), White/Black/Varsity Red (AA3834-101), White/White (AQ0818-100) and White/Canary Yellow (AQ0818-149).

Resale values for this Air Jordan 1 collab range from $1,800 to $3,800, depending on size, colorway and condition. The White/Black/Varsity Red — or "Chicago'' version — of the Off-White x Air Jordan 1 is the most valuable.

Fashion label Christian Dior also collaborated on high-top and low-top luxury versions of the Air Jordan 1.

These sneakers were made in Italy and quantities were limited to 8,500 pairs for the high-top (CN8607-002) and 4,700 for the low-top (CN8608-002), with each pair individually numbered. The shoes feature a white and grey leather upper with Dior branding on the Swoosh, Air Jordan Wings logo, tongue and translucent outsole.

Retail for the Dior x Air Jordan 1 was $2,000 and resale values can range from $4,000 to $12,000, depending on size and condition. Dior x Air Jordan 1s are the most expensive to release at retail.

Hiroshi Fujiwara's Fragment Design collaborated on a rare version of the Air Jordan 1 in 2014. The leather sneaker (716371-040) features a black-toe mudguard and sport-royal heel panel and outsole with the Fragment Design logo embossed on the heel. It retailed for $185 and typical resale values range from $4,000 to $5,000.

Streetwear designer Don C. also created a limited pair of Air Jordan 1s that were sold exclusively through eBay auction in 2013 for charity. The all-black design for Black History Month (398178-178) was limited to 39 pairs and features a leather strap, snakeskin Swoosh branding and orange sockliner. The average resale value for a pair of these limited Air Jordan 1s is around $9,000.

Rapper Travis Scott collaborated with Nike on two rare versions of the Air Jordan 1.

In 2019, a high-top version with a reverse Nike Swoosh, stash pocket and Cactus Jack branding was released in Sail/Black-Dark Mocha (CD4487-100) This sneaker retailed for $175 and has a resale value ranging from $1,000 to $2,000 depending on size and condition. There was also a low-top version that released in 2019 in Black/Dark Mocha-University Red (CQ4277-001) that retailed for $130 and now has a resale value ranging from $1,100 to $1,600.

Justin Timberlake received a series of exclusive Air Jordan 1s that he wore during his 2013 Legends of the Summer tour. These pairs never released to the public and were only available to Timberlake's family and friends. In this collection were two variations of a black and red pair with a chrome toe, and an all-red snakeskin version. These sneakers were extremely limited and have been known to sell for upwards of $10,000.

Another musician to collaborate on the Air Jordan 1 was J. Balvin. Unlike Timberlake's "Legends of the Summer" design, the J. Balvin x Air Jordan 1 (DC3481-900) features a canvas tie-dye upper, exposed foam in the tongue and removable Velcro patches. The shoe retailed for $190 and has a resale value ranging from $500 to $800, depending on size and condition.

Exclusive Retail Colorways and Collaborations of the Air Jordan 1

Besides artists and entertainers collaborating with Jordan Brand on the Air Jordan 1 silhouette, several sneaker stores and boutiques have also created limited-edition versions of the shoe.

SoleFly, a Miami-based sneaker boutique owned by Michael Jordan's brother-in-law, released a couple of rare Air Jordan 1s. A Black/Fir-Team Orange pair (AV3905-038) in patent leather was released in 2018 and currently resales for around $4,000. Another SoleFly x Air Jordan 1 that got released in wider numbers was a Sail/Fir-Team Orange colorway (AV3905-138), inspired by the University of Miami. This pair that retailed for $160 has a resale value ranging from $1,900 to $2,500.

Union Los Angeles, another sneaker boutique, released a couple of rare colorways of the Air Jordan 1 in 2018 — White/Black-Varsity Red (BV1300-106) and White/Storm Blue-Varsity Red (BV1300-146). The latter was exclusive to Union Los Angeles. Resale values for these pairs range from $1,800 to $2,500 depending on size, condition and colorway. The White/Storm Blue version of the Union x Air Jordan 1 is more valuable to collectors.

Michael Jordan's son Marcus also designed an exclusive version of the Air Jordan 1 through his sneaker store Trophy Room. This pair comes in the OG Chicago red colorway, White/Sail/Varsity Red/Black (DA2728-100), but features a frozen finish and icy outsole inspired by the rumor that NBA All-Stars froze Michael Jordan out of getting the ball in the 1985 NBA All-Star Game.

There's also a Friends & Family version of this sneaker (DA2728 100 FF) with blue laces. Both pairs also include Michael Jordan's signature imprinted on the heel. The average resale values for these pairs range from $2,400 to $4,000, depending on size, condition and version, with the Friends & Family pair the most sought-after. Perhaps one of the rarest Air Jordan 1s associated with a retail boutique is the Colette Air Jordan 1 from 2017.

This pair was made to commemorate the closing of the Parisian store. It was only given to employees and friends and family of the boutique and was never sold at retail. It features Colette's white and signature blue and a translucent outsole with the text Au Revoir on the bottom. A pair was sold at Sotheby's for nearly $24,000.

Air Jordan 1 Retro Colorways and Collectibility

Of the general release versions of the Air Jordan 1, the most sought-after are the OG retros of the Chicago colorways — "Black Toe" (575441-125), "Chicago" (332550-163), and "Banned" (555088-001). Depending on the year or version of these sneakers, resale values typically range from $500 to $1,000.

Other retros of OG colorways not in the Chicago Bulls color scheme are also highly collectible. These include "Royal" (555088-007) and "Shadow" (555088-013). Resale values for these colorways range from $400 to $600, depending on size, condition and year of retro.

Mashups of these popular colorways, similar to Nike's "What The" theme, have also been applied to the Air Jordan 1.

In 2016, a "Top 3" version of the Air Jordan 1 that borrowed color-blocking from the "Banned," "Royal" and "Chicago" versions of the shoe got released (555088-026). Resale values for this colorway range from $500 to $700 depending on size and condition. A black-and-gold color scheme that played off the Top 3 theme also released in patent leather in 2017 (861428 001). Resale values for this pair range from $500 to $1,000, depending on size and condition.

Aside from retros of original colorways, another modern and collectible colorway theme is the "Shattered Backboard."The first colorway launched in 2015 and was inspired by the black and orange uniform Michael Jordan wore during a European tour in 1985 where he shattered the backboard with a high-impact dunk.

Resale values for the Black/Starfish-Sail colorway (555088-005) range from $1,000 to $1,900, depending on size and condition. Two other variations of the "Shattered Backboard" colorway later were released in Sail/Black-Starfish (555088-113) and Black/Pale Vanilla-Starfish (555088-028).

While these colorways were coveted, with resale values ranging from $700 to $1,200, they aren't as valued as the initial colorway. A women's-only version of the "Shattered Backboard" Air Jordan 1 got released in 2018, featuring satin material in the upper (AV3725-010). Resale values for the women's version range from $500 to $900, depending on size and condition.

In 2014, the Air Jordan 1 was converted into a Nike SB skate shoe, called the Lance Mountain x Air Jordan 1 SB. This colorway was inspired by skaters on the West Coast adopting the Air Jordan 1 for skateboarding in the late 1980s and 1990s. Mountain wore a mismatched pair in a 1987 skate video. Unlike other Air Jordan retros, this version has a paint finish that wears off with wear to reveal a Black and Red/Black and Royal mismatched pair.

Two versions were released — one with a black finish (653532-002) and another with a white finish (653532-100). Cushioning of the shoe was also specifically modified for skateboarding. A low-top version of the Lance Mountain x Air Jordan 1 also got released in 2019 with a canvas upper that featured the same wear-and-tear effect. Resale values for these pairs range from $300 to $1,000, depending on size, condition and style.