A Complete Sneaker Guide To Michael Jordan's Sports Illustrated Covers

Issue Date: 7/23/1984

Some of you may be too young to realize that before Jordan signed with the Bulls and Nike he was a self-proclaimed adidas nut and repped Converse during his amateur days. While helping lead Team USA to the gold in L.A. he donned the Converse Fastbreak — not only the last time we have seen Mike in something other than Nike, but the last time we would see the original version of the Fastbreak, as changes were made to the collar and remained on later retro models.

Issue Date: 11/17/1986

Michael already had reached superstar status during his rookie campaign — his first cover as a Bull came in December of '84 — but back then SI wasn't too into sub .500 teams. His second pro cover came early in his third season after missing most of his second with a foot injury, and it was also the first time a pair of Js graced the front page.

Issue Date: 12/28/1987

Hard to believe this cover is 25 years old — the Walter Iooss photo of Mike in flight rocking something other than Js still holds up as once of his most iconic pictures to date. Phil Knight must have had a conniption when this one showed up in his mailbox.

Issue Date: 5/16/1988

The "Fire Reds" are set to make another comeback in 2013, 25 years after they first made the cover of SI (wee see you, Brad Daugherty!). It was images like this that made everyone go crazy over the shoe — king.

Issue Date: 5/15/1989

At least Craig Ehlo was spared the embarrassment of the cover of Sports Illustrated but the rest of the Cavs got ethered nationally after Mike almost single-handedly defeated the squad in the "playoff" Jordan IVs. Hey, they got their own colorway out of the deal, it's not like Nike is making any special edition Cleveland LeBrons anytime soon, right? Too soon? Sorry.

Issue Date: 08/14/1989

MJ's love for golf has always been professed, from back in the '89 when he graced the cover of Sports Illustrated, to his most recent run-in with country club rules. When he was on the cover of SI in the summer of 1989, MJ rocked a pair of PE golf shoes from Nike. Nowadays, you can expect him to don the Jumpman on everything from his shoes to his golf bag and then some.

Issue Date: 11/6/1989

The Jordan vs. Detroit rivalry was epic — Michael had tasted the agony of defeat courtesy of the Bad Boys of Auburn Hills one too many times in the '80s. Jordan did was he could to try and move the Bulls to the Finals but the Pistons were still too much to handle. At least his cardboard cutout looked good in them IVs.

Issue Date: 5/21/1990

The Air Jordan V featured a reflective 3M tongue that Tinker Hatfield utilized to make the sneaker look even flashier under the arena lights and strobes — looks like it may have worked.

Issue Date: 12/17/1990

To answer SI's question, yup. MJ was on his way, conquering foes in the NBA and the sneaker world thanks to co-signs in Hollywood from The Fresh Prince and Dwayne Wayne (more on that later). At this point, in both pop culture and the NBA, it was clear that His Airness was on another level.

Issue Date: 5/11/1992

Before Clyde and Mike faced off in the '92 Finals, Sports Illustrated featured the two All-Stars on the cover with some old art of MJ rocking the same VI model he won his first ring in — different kicks, same outcome.

Issue Date: 6/15/1992

No, we didn't ID them wrong. The black and red "Raptor" Js played a pivotal role in Michael's second title and the infamous Jordan Shrug after he started raining threes in the United Center — first the shoes and then the shrug, Kanye just can't let Mike be great.

Issue Date: 6/7/1993

The double-strapped kicks and tongue-waggin' past the Knicks — the Jordan VIIIs on Jordan’s feet made the Bulls first three-peat complete after running through The Big Apple before Phoenix. NYC never been the same since No. 23 came through and crushed the building.

Issue Date: 10/18/1993

It was tough to stomach, seeing the image of a lone Jordan walking off the court with no plans of returning. It wasn't the VIIs he last appeared in as a Bull, but good art is good art (trust us, we understand) and in October of '93 we thought the run of our favorite player (and sneakers) was coming to an end.

Issue Date: 3/14/1994

Shortly after Jordan’s father was tragically slain and exhausted from the long season and his celebrity status, Mike left the game. He then surprised the world by signing a minor-league contract with the Chicago White Sox and had a brief career with the Birmingham Barons, a White Sox affiliate. Jordan never donned the IXs on the court but Nike did hook him up with some player editions for the diamond. Random fact: Michael Jordan's rookie three-point shooting percentage (.173) was worse than his rookie batting average (.202) — Michael Jordan did miss a few shots. Also, it was this cover that launched Mike's feud with SI that still continues to this day. The man does not forget a slight. Ever.

Issue Date: 6/3/1996

In his first full season back in the league, Mike had the Bulls back on their grind, winning a league-record 72 games with the addition of rebounding/defensive/psychology specialist Dennis Rodman. The playoff run and cover also featured one of Mike’s most popular sneakers, you already know about these.

Issue Date: 3/10/1997

Mike didn't even go animated in Space Jam but SI featured Jordan with some well-executed Jordan XIIs on the cover posing the question whether the Bulls dynasty was bad for the league — we think David Stern learned the answer to that one quickly a few years later. His fellow 'toons? Charles Barkley, Shaq, Grant Hill and Patrick Ewing in the air, Gary Payton on the ground. GP must have loved that.

Issue Date: 6/22/1998

Sports Illustrated had no way of knowing this would end up being "The Last Shot," and the cover still rates as one of the most iconic moments in NBA history. The cold-blooded jumper in the XIVs that now share the name of the play showcased Michael playing his usual killer role, the way we will always remember him. Washington who?