Turn Heads in the Jordan 1 Retro High Max Orange
The Air Jordan 1 is the trainer that started it all, marking the beginning of the most iconic lineage of trainers in history. In many ways, it's responsible for launching modern-day trainer culture as a whole - and it almost didn't happen.
History of Air Jordan 1
As the story goes, the year was 1984, and Chicago Bulls' rookie Michael Jordan was a hot commodity for endorsement deals, with trainers naturally being paramount.
Jordan had just come off a stellar college basketball season at the University of North Carolina. He wore Converse and was a personal fan of Adidas, so he took meetings with both companies, but they never reached a deal. It seems strange today, but at the time, Michael Jordan hated Nike - so much so that he refused to take a meeting with them.
He was persuaded by his mother, Deloris Jordan, to visit the Nike campus in Oregon and listen to their pitch. His plan was to go through the motions to appease his parents and agent but he ultimately left with a contract unlike any other.
Rather than walking in the shadows of established athletes like Magic Johnson and Larry Bird (which may have been the case had he signed elsewhere), Michael Jordan shone in the Nike limelight. He was paid more than any other athlete with a trainer endorsement at the time. Nike made him the face of its growing presence in basketball, and gave him his own trainer line - called Air Jordan.
With its bold colours and high-contrast design, the Jordan 1 Retro High Max Orange made waves when it was released in 2009. You might recognize the colours, which are borrowed from the Air Jordan Shattered Backboard colourways. The Jordan 1 High Max Orange features black uppers with orange overlays on the heel, eyestays, and toe. An orange Nike Swoosh runs from the heel to the midfoot, and a black Air Jordan Wings logo adorns the lateral side of the shaft. For an extra pop of colour, there's an orange Jumpman logo and a white "Air" on the tongue. A black Jumpman decorates the heel, and white midsoles give these orange and black Jordans a crisp finish. Like most Jordan 1 Retro shoes, this design also features scalloped eyestays.