Banned

I’ve always been a basketball fan; I even played point guard in junior high for a hot second. But then everyone else grew taller! Despite my grandfather taking me to see the Sixers for my first game, I am a diehard New York Knicks fan. And for those around for the Ewing-Starks years, you know Michael Jordan was our nemesis. He may be considered by many to be the GOAT, but to me, he’s what stood in the way of a Knicks championship.

There’s plenty of lore and legend tied to Jordan and his basketball glory, but his relationship with 耐克 and the creation of the Air Jordan brand may have had the biggest impact on culture and my family. As the mom of twin boys, sneaker drops were holy moments in our household and visits to specialty retailers on family trips were carefully scheduled. And despite my feelings towards Michael Jordan, the player, Jordan, the brand, was a beloved part of our lives as well as a driving force in the National Basketball Association (NBA) .

Let’s run it back to the 1980s when the NBA was a very different league, concerned about sponsorships and endorsements with strict league rules, especially when it came to dress codes. One of those rules stated, “shoes worn by athletes must be 51% white and must match the shoes worn by their teammates.” When Jordan wore the Air Jordan 1 black and red sneakers on the court, they violated the league’s uniform policy, resulting in a fine for Jordan. Nike famously picked up the tab for the fine and then used the “ban” to market the shoes – selling 1.5 million pairs in its first six weeks on the market, more than 15x what was projected for the first year. What began as a footwear controversy ultimately created “sneakerhead” culture with fans (my kids included) lining up for releases and driving up resale value. Also, have you watched the movie “Air” about Nike courting a young MJ? If not, I highly recommend it!

But back to the ‘80s. Nike’s infamous 1985 commercial, “Banned,” showed a young Michael Jordan bouncing a ball with the camera, then panning down to his sneakers covered by black censor boxes. The voiceover said: “On September 15th, Nike created a revolutionary new basketball shoe. On October 18th, the NBA threw them out of the game.” While Nike may have taken some liberties in developing the narrative, the storytelling cemented its status in both sport and style.

Fast-forward 40 years, and “Banned” is now “Unbannable,” a powerful, creative and very fun new campaign from the Jordan Brand that leans into the mystique surrounding the original controversy and the nostalgia that successfully drives marketing campaigns today. The campaign began with the perfect tease – a post on the Jumpman Instagram account featuring a crumbled-up fax from the NBA to Nike. It was a citation from 1985, the year Nike claimed the NBA banned the Air Jordan 1 Breds.

To launch the campaign, Jordan released a short video on Christmas that rolled back the clock and had Nike deciding not to pay Jordan’s fine, forever changing history. They followed this up with a long-form video that reimagines the Air Jordan 1 origin story by asking a provocative “What if?” question. The spot opens with nostalgic clips of a young Michael Jordan segueing into a humorous, fictional scenario. A character named Lawrence H. – portrayed as a Nike finance guy – explains that Jordan’s shoes cost the company $5,000 every game, reminding us of the cost of defiance. The ad then imagines a world without Air Jordans, suggesting that the sneaker’s absence would have led to a collapse of not only sneaker culture but also broader cultural phenomena with references to DJ Khaled and Travis Scott. This alternative origin story further underscores Nike and the Jordan Brand’s narrative that defiance fuels greatness. Brilliant!

As part of this campaign, the Jordan Brand has been going around banning Jordans (black bars over sneaker imagery) everywhere – from the Michael Jordan statue in the Bulls’ United Center , to buildings across the globe, to the shoes on its website, even going as far as deleting its own Instagram account. Fictional character Lawrence H, the Nike finance guy, was also spotted at multiple sporting events, including the Super Bowl and NBA All-Star Game, handing out fines/citations to those wearing Jordans, reinforcing the banned theme.

And then there was the superb Super Bowl tie-in with Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts. Earlier this season, Hurts broke one of his cleats during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals and was forced to wear two different colored cleats, violating the National Football League (NFL) 's uniform policy. Forty years apart, Hurts received a “banned” letter from the league, and the Jordan Brand once again picked up the bill. During warm-ups for the Super Bowl, the Jordan Brand capitalized on the “Unbannable” campaign, with Hurts wearing a custom-made cleat version of the red and black Air Jordan 1s with the word “unbannable” written on the heel of both shoes. The shoes also featured black tape across the Swoosh, a nod to the visual imagery of the original “Banned” campaign.

Following the Eagles’ dominant win in Super Bowl 59, the Jordan Brand immediately released the masterful “Love, Hurts” spot, reinforcing its principal message that “You Can’t Ban Greatness.” The timing, just days ahead of the re-release of the Bred 1s, was kismet. A marketing masterclass, if you ask me!

By positing “Greatness is Unbannable,” the campaign reinforces that the Jordan Brand’s influence extends well beyond basketball. It taps into the legacy of the Air Jordan 1 and its pivotal role in shaping sports, style and global culture. It certainly played a role in the Rosenberg household.

Stay fierce (and soar!),

Lisa