Sneaker lovers know that walking home with a pair of Nike shoes will cost them around $80. However, as soon as you order an Air Jordan 1, you should be prepared to part with more cash. It’s no secret that Nike has been on a killing spree since signing that deal with Michael Jordan nearly 40 years ago. Among the many shoes he has released is the Air Jordan 1 “Lucky Green” which retails for $170. Since the price is more than double that of regular Nike shoes, you must be wondering what makes them so expensive. We’ve put together a few reasons, as detailed below.
Throwback to the 1986 game
There is something special about memories. Even if we are advised against looking back, we can always remember how far we have come. This can be said of Nike’s decision to make the Air Jordan 1 “Lucky Green” sneakers. The shoes nod to the big game Jordan played against the Boston Celtics during his time with the Chicago Bulls. Nike said the sneakers focus on advancing the early days of Jordan’s basketball career. In addition to acknowledging the legendary basketball player’s imperfection, it’s a throwback to when the Chicago Bulls faced the Celtics. Although the Celtics won, Jordan’s career began to take shape. For this reason, sneakers represent everything about this game. On April 20, 1986, the Chicago Bulls lost to the Celtics 135-131 in a double game.
During the second round of this game, Jordan showed off his prowess on the basketball court. In Game 2, Jordan scored 63 points, even causing one of the Boston Celtics players, Larry Bird, to comment admiringly. Bird, a three-time MVP, said he doesn’t think anyone can do what Jordan did to the Celtics. He acknowledged the rookie’s skills adding that Jordan was the most impressive and exciting player on the day. To top it off, Bird said he thought it was God disguised as Jordan. With such praise from an already great player, it only made sense that Nike wanted to relive that moment through the Air Jordan 1 “Lucky Green” shoes. Therefore, the shoe company has done its best to include every element of this game in the shoe. “Lucky Green” overlays are reminiscent of the Boston Celtics, while the wings and tongue are red, to represent the Chicago Bulls. A special hardwood print on the insoles symbolizes the Boston Garden wooden floor. The eyelets aren’t fully stitched, meaning Jordan’s game was still on. Another notable feature is the black outsole. Therefore, when Sportsman said the “Lucky Green” sneakers would immortalize one of Jordan’s best nights in the NBA, the statement captured Nike’s intentions when making the shoes.
A fitting tribute to Jordan’s basketball career
You must like the way Nike markets its products. Nike knew that the game where Jordan scored 63 points happened on April 20, 1986 and decided to release a documentary series about the basketball player on April 19, 2020. It seems that this was a strategy to prepare customers to buy the ultimate memory. of their favorite basketball player. Therefore, on October 14, 2020, after people had watched Jordan enough to appreciate where he came from, it only made sense for Nike to release the Air Jordan 1 “Lucky Green” sneakers. According to Sports Illustrated, “The Last Dance” caused a price hike for Air Jordan 1 sneakers. The shoes might be considered expensive, but they are women’s-only sneakers. Women are notorious for not caring about price when shopping; they buy with their heart, so such a high price does not matter. Perhaps Nike also understood this by making sneakers exclusively for women, although it was considerate enough to have large sizes that could fit men. Still, anyone who owns a pair of Air Jordan 1s knows that the shoes are worth the price. Air Jordan sneakers are known to have a high resale value. In 2020, CNBC reported that Sotheby’s sold a pair for $560,000, making them the most expensive sneakers ever sold. However, what made the shoes special was that Jordan wore them in a game and autographed them. For pairs you buy at $170, you can expect to make at least $100 in profit on average.
The History of Air Jordan Sneakers
If Jordan had succeeded, the shoes would probably never have seen the light of day. While still a rookie, Nike approached him hoping to sign the rising talent to a deal, but Jordan wasn’t interested. According to Marie Claire, Jordan was hoping to land a deal with Adidas, his favorite shoe company, or Converse, the NBA’s official shoe. However, Converse refused to place him above other athletes like Bird and Magic Johnson, while Adidas did not make him an offer. Therefore, it took a lot of persuading for her mother, Deloris, to try out Nike. Jordan still hoped that Adidas would reconsider even after receiving an offer from Nike. So he returned to Adidas, but the shoe company was still not interested. Jordan’s father advised him to accept Nike’s offer as the amount was unheard of for a rookie. Because of this, Jordan stayed with Nike, a move that turned into a lucrative business. Nike offered the Jordan line and their expectations of the sneakers were modest. The company hoped to earn at least $3 million from sales of the shoes in four years. He was shocked to sell shoes worth $126 million in one year. Jordan has since made huge gains through his collaboration with Nike. In 1984 he accepted $250,000 and his line of sneakers, and by 2019 he was making over $1.3 billion.
