“Doesn’t have any white in it!” Legendary late night host David Letterman once THREW Michael Jordan’s first-ever shoes with savage response

Explore the iconic saga of Michael Jordan's banned Air Jordan 1s, defying NBA regulations, and how Nike turned controversy into triumph.

“Doesn’t have any white in it!” Legendary late night host David Letterman once THREW Michael Jordan’s first-ever shoes with savage response

Michael Jordan and David Letterman (via YouTube)

In the 1980s and the 1990s, Michael Jordan brought fresh air to the NBA. Its ratings were declining, and hence, the league needed a miracle. That marvel was His Airness. With his charm, he had always won in whichever place he turned up. Despite the fact that Michael was still a rookie in the NBA, he managed to be a factor as well.

Jordan started the conversation by asking David Letterman why he was still rocking Adidas sneakers. In response, Dave cracked his joke about contentiously banned Air Jordan sneakers. There was a huge hue surrounding him putting on his Nike Air Jordan 1s at the time. They were mostly red and black shoes. At this point, the NBA regulated that every shoe should be white. Of course, Jordan and Nike opted not to abide by this provision, which led both parties straight into the glare of media attention.

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According to Jordan, the NBA primarily disapproved of the shoe because of its colour. Letterman looked into the matter and questioned Jordan:

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But what's wrong? Regarding the shoes, the paint job? Which rule are we breaking here? the reason the NBA had a problem with it.

The reply from Jordan was:

Well, it didn't have any white in it.

Letterman, who was always up for a snappy response, pointed out how ironic it was that the NBA’s emblem didn’t include any white. ‘Oh, not the colour?’ Letterman inquired, putting on an air of disbelief, and the exchange became hilarious. Jordan said, “Anything they do is okay,” in a light-hearted diplomatic manner.

Jordan explained why he could not wear these sneakers on the game to which Letterman reacted to the league in a last jab. The open talk about the NBA and the obvious mistakes of it continued among the two while the crowd clapped hands. Since it was clearly a violation of their code, the NBA never approved Jordan to wear those shoes in a competitive game.

The sneaker rebellion: Michael Jordan’s “Forbidden” shoes and Nike’s strategic triumph in defying league regulations

According to a league regulation then, the majority part of the shoe had to be white. Since Jordan played for the Bulls, Nike designed completely back and red sneakers for him.

Banned Jordan 1s
Banned Jordan 1s

For wearing the shoes during games, the league management had to fine him USD 5,000 every time. Some organizations might have succumbed and released another shoe but Nike refused. They pledged to pay the entire amount of Jordan’s penalty and asked that he keep on wearing them.

Due to the rumour that the shoe shall be banned, Nike decided to take benefit and convert the disadvantage into an advantage. Their whole campaign centred on the “Forbidden” shoe, which was one among various ads that made it possible for Jordan to dominate pop culture. Jordan brand continues to be among the most lucrative divisions in Nike’s portfolio. Therefore for that, MJ is signed with the corporation in a lifetime.

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