The Air Jordan I has unquestionably — and rightfully so — achieved grail-status as the shoe Michael Jordan wore during his first season in the NBA (1984-85). But as true connoisseurs of His Airness’ career are well aware, this honor was originally shared with another model of Nike’s early basketball lineup.
While the ‘Banned‘ theme might be the most well-known colorway of the Air Jordan I, the NBA initially prohibited Jordan from wearing a black and red version of another Nike sneaker in games: The Nike Air Ship.
Jordan spent the first part of his rookie season alternating between a white/red edition of the Air Ship and the ‘Chicago‘ colorway of his first signature shoe. And while the NBA eventually lifted their ban on what Mike himself used to call “the devil’s colors“, the new Air Jordan I Hi ‘85 is a truly important homage to the originals of 1985!
Overall, the latest Air Jordan I stays as close to the original shape of the 1985 model as possible, from a narrower Swoosh to a more straightforward heel line. This AJI also takes up subtle hints from the Air Ship with varsity red mudguards and eye-stays while the toe box is kept in black.
The Air Jordan I Hi ’85 Varsity Red is limited to only 23.000 pairs worldwide and will drop at BSTN on Saturday, Feb. 8th. To provide equal opportunities for everyone, the right to purchase the sought-after kicks will be decided via the BSTN raffle. To enter, just click the button below! The raffle closes on Friday, Feb. 7th, at 4 pm CET.
While you keep your fingers crossed for the Air Jordan I Hi ’85 raffle, complete your submergence into Michael Jordan’s iconic rookie season by browsing his authentic Chicago Bulls jerseys and shooting shirts by Mitchell & Ness!
