Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan is the greatest player in NBA history. Duh. Some of us, though, know more about Jordan sneakers than we do about the man himself. To help get everything down in the digital sphere, Complex is going to take you on a multi-part series that breaks down his legacy by the shoes he wore on the court. We're going to kick it off with the Air Jordan 1, because, you know, it was first. Since its inception, over 90 colorways of the Air Jordan 1 have been released at the retail level. With the Foamposite 1s (excuse us, "Anodized/Armor") on the way, we figured, why not start here? Sit back, click on, and take a look at Michael Jordan's Greatest Moments Wearing the Air Jordan 1...

Jordan

Michael Jordan

Michael's debut dunk contest was, and still is, widely regarded as one of the best dunk contests of all time. A skinny Jordan stuck his tongue out and soared past former champions Dr. J and Larry Nance into the final round, but ultimately fell short to Dominique Wilkins.

Micheal played his last game at Madison Square Garden as a member of the Chicago Bulls, and, as a little homage to himself, he donned an original pair of 1s from 1984 that he discovered in his closet while cleaning up his house. They were a 13.5, a whole size smaller than his foot size in 1998. Despite playing in a smaller shoe (that Steve Kerr thought would mess him up), MJ's game was not affected at all. Homeboy went on to post a stat line of 42 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals and 1 block in a victory over the Knicks. Good Ass Job.

Michael Jordan missed most of the 1985-86 season with a broken foot, and the Bulls juuust made it to the NBA Playoffs as an 8th seed with a 30-52 record. Jordan recovered just in time for the first-round playoff series versus the Boston Celtics, though, and MK came out strong, putting on one of the NBA's greatest postseason performances. The Bulls went on to lose the series, but Jordan's 63-point performance against the Celtics stands as the record for most points in a playoff game. Larry Legend himself was left in awe, calling MJ the "most exciting, awesome player in the game today. I think it's just God disguised as Michael Jordan."

When the Air Jordan 1 was introduced to the world, it turned the sneaker industry on its head. Prior to this sneaker, most basketball sneakers were white, but the young Nike brand basically gave the finger to the NBA by mocking up the signature style in an eye-catching red-and-black power colorway. In response to the sneaker, the NBA banned the shoe and fined Michael Jordan $5,000 for every game in which he sported the kicks. Nike was more than happy to pay Jordan

In 1984, Life did a photo shoot for the 1984 Olympics, and the resultant image of Micheal Jordan went on to become one of the most recognizable logos in the world. Nike