Often hailed as one of the most reputed and legendary NBA players of all-time, American businessman and former basketball player Michael Jordan, who played a phenomenal total of fifteen seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) between 1984 and 2003, winning six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls, has played a groundbreaking role in revolutionising the sneaker industry with his own sneaker brand, Air Jordan back in 1985.
The first sneaker, the Air Jordan 1, was officially released to the public on April 1, 1985, in collaboration with Nike and, ever since, the NBA star has never turned back and has undoubtedly transformed his brand into a million-dollar empire over the past few decades.
In this article we will take a look at the exciting details about how Michael Jordan has revolutionised the sneaker industry with his Air Jordan brand.
Air Jordan’s Origin Story: How Michael Jordan Revolutionised the Sneaker Industry
The Birth of Air Jordan 1
As mentioned earlier, the first sneaker, the Air Jordan 1, was officially released to the public on April 1, 1985, in collaboration with Nike. The “Air Jordan 1” was designed by Peter Moore and featured extremely bold colours – red and black, which violated NBA rules.
Although Michel Jordan was fined $5,000 per game for wearing the black and red Air Jordan 1 shoes that violated the NBA’s code of conduct, Nike continued promoting the shoes throughout the 1985 NBA season after paying the fines, as it garnered huge publicity for the brand and the shoes, as well.
The Strategic Move by Nike
Well, the Air Jordan 1 shoe segment was officially released to the public on 1 April 1985 and Nike’s strategic move of promoting the shoes through the NBA star player Miachel Jordan paid off well and the company projected a whopping $3 million in sales in the first year.
The enormous success of the Air Jordan 1 segment led Nike to create an entirely separate “Jordan Brand” line under its name as a subsidiary. As of June 2025, the Jordan Brand generates over $5 billion annually, and Michael Jordan earns an estimated $140-$150 million per year in royalties.
Michael Jordan’s Air Jordan NBA Timeline
The legendary NBA player wore Nike’s Air Jordan throughout his NBA career that spanned over a decade. A detailed anecdote of all the Air Jordan sneakers worn by Michael Jordan in various NBA seasons is provided below:
| S.No | Air Jordan Series | Season |
| 1 | Air Jordan 1 | 1984–85 NBA Season |
| 2 | Air Jordan 2 | 1986–87 NBA Season |
| 3 | Air Jordan 3 | 1987–88 NBA Season |
| 4 | Air Jordan 4 | 1988–89 NBA Season |
| 5 | Air Jordan 5 | 1989–90 NBA Season) |
| 6 | Air Jordan 6 | 1990–91 NBA Season |
| 7 | Air Jordan 7 | 1991–92 NBA Season |
| 8 | Air Jordan 8 | 1992–93 NBA Season |
| 9 | Air Jordan 10 | 1994–95 Return |
| 10 | Air Jordan 11 | 1995–96 NBA Season |
| 11 | Air Jordan 12 | 1996–97 NBA Season |
| 12 | Air Jordan 13 | 1997–98 NBA Season |
| 13 | Air Jordan 14 | 1998 NBA Finals |
| 14 | Air Jordan 17 | 2001–2003 with Washington Wizards |
Michael Jordan’s Air Jordan Revenue Records
A detailed anecdote of the massive annual revenue generated by Michael Jordan’s Air Jordan brand is provided below since it was launched in 1985.
| Year | Revenue (USD) |
| 1985 | $126 million |
| 2016 | $2.8 billion |
| 2017 | $3.1 billion |
| 2018 | $2.9 billion |
| 2019 | $3.1 billion |
| 2020 | $3.7 billion |
| 2021 | $4.8 billion |
| 2022 | $5.1 billion |
| 2023 | $6.6 billion |
| 2024 | $7.0 billion |
| 2025 (est) | $7.5 billion |
