Happy 21st Birthday

A legend has just turned 21 right under our noses. Yes, a legend of the shoe world that has destroyed countless opponents on its way to score a point, has just reached a milestone. This legend has been fitted on everyone from infants to the elderly, all because of its owner and its style. This legend always had the image of a man jumping with a ball on its way to the goal. You knew when you saw it. You wanted it the minute you eyes locked on to it and wondered what is going on with a smile on your face.

Ladies and gentleman this is none other than, the Air Jordan shoe. Yes it's the shoe, Spike Lee said it 21 years ago, “Its gotta be the shoes!” It was worn by a black man who had hair at the time and the most talked about player on the planet.
It was designed for the greatest player ever and helped propell him to godlike status among men. He couldn't have done it with out the shoe, its just that simple. This shoe, at the young age of 21 has been embraced, revered, loved and honored. It also has gone through scrutiny, failure, envy and the epic battles with the Bad Boys of Detroit. The shoe has won some games and lost some as it matured. However the end results was always the same, it held up and still looked good during the face of defeat. The shoe has had legendary battles in the NBA dunk contest with Dominque Wilkins. It jumped from free throw lines ala Julius Erving and even conjured verticle flight on the feet of Michael Jordan, called kiss the rim dunk. All that was seen was the logo under his foot as it propelled Jordan like Superman to the basket.

Life was put into the shoe 21 years ago with vision. Since then it jammed in videos with Heavy D. and Naughty By Nature on Michael Jackson’s song ‘Jam’. It had a starting role in its own movie called SpaceJam and countless commercials. The shoe traveled to Barcelona and join the Dream Team and brought the gold home for the United States. The streets is where the Air Jordan gets most of its credibility. The hip-hop culture has embraced it and held on to something all its own. This was the cape to our own superman, Michael Jordan and his shoe was looked at as gods to black America. Spike Lee had a character in the movie ‘Do the Right Thing’, who got upset when his Air Jordan was scuffed by someone. Lee himself, slept with a character Nola in the movie ‘She gotta have it’ in his Air Jordan’s. You can not fully fathom the idea of Air Jordan's unless you go to the local shoe store and watch a kid marvel at the site of them.

The Air Jordan shoe has transcended racial lines and brought harmony to a generation who wanted to be like Mike. They didn’t mind failing just as long as they had their shoes on and another day to give it their best shot. They saw them in the commercial when Mike said he failed over and over again, that’s why he succeeds. The shoe is a role model, believe it or not. Sure the shoe has its critics, however anything that is worth its weight usually does. It only made the shoe line stronger and its character was built.

I've witness men getting married in Air Jordan’s, and waiting for babies to be born just so they can put their infant in a pair of Jordan's. Once the baby out grew them, you usually can see them hanging from someones car rear view mirror. You will never look bad in a pair and rule number one, you must keep them clean. At 21 years of age, it looks as good as it did in its infancy. It had to the public demaned it. No other shoe was ever under the spotlight like the Air Jordan. Its the thing legend are made of.

The Air Jordan shoe was the only shoe in history to be banned from playing on the NBA hardwood. The commissioner didn’t know he would ignite a fire that hasn’t simmered yet. Thanks Dave! There are many players in the league who have shoe deals and some even had signature shoes like Michael. However, it will never do or surpass what the Jordan shoe has done. People criticize Nike for pricing the shoe too high and hiring overseas for cheap labor. They also argued against the shoe because the inner city kids could not afford them and they are stealing them from the kids who do have them. The shoe matured just as we do when we learned from our mistakes as we try to make a way in life.


Michael and the Air Jordan shoe had to weather every storm that was thrown at them. No other shoe will have to do that. The Air Jordan paved the way so it could be easier for those who have signature shoes in the future. Michael Jordan even expanded its line to casual dress. The Jumpman line is a line to keep us in style with different types of shoes with the famous logo on it. The privlage few who endorse the shoe in their respected sports were chosen by Michael himself to wear the greatest shoe on the planet. The Jumpmen are in basketball, the NFL, Major Leauge Baseball and Pro Boxing.

When Michael signed with Nike he saved the shoe giant from becoming a midget in the 80’s as other shoe companies were forming and waiting to dominate the basketball market. Phillip Knight the CEO at Nike Inc., gave Jordan his own brand in appreciation in 1996. A black man fully funded to have his own sports line outside of Nike with out using any of his own money.

That was a major step in 1996 when the deal was signed. It has done so much for the black community. It has taught young kids the art of design and to have faith in your dream. Keep reaching, that's what the Jumpman logo is all about. Michael Jordan and the Air Jordan is a icon as it continues to give back to the community. This icon now is grown and will continue to get better because the public demands that it stay true to its original plan of making it better each year.

It’s amazing what this shoe has done and it hasn’t spoken a word in 21 years. The reason it hasn’t, because the fans and the man who made it famous spoke for it. Silence is golden and in the year of 2006 it is now legal. Fan will continue to trust its vision and its staying power will remain.

So here is a toast to the Air Jordan and I would like to thank you for giving me so much comfort.
A man and a shoe showed us all we can be the best at what we do. We can look good in a shoe that would go with any outfit and people will point and ask, "is that the new Jordan?"

It happens everyday. Maybe people won't ask all the time but they will give respect to those who know good quality and style.