Exactly forty years ago, the Air Jordan 1 made its debut on the court and in the sneaker market, completely changing the game.  

Designed specifically for Michael Jordan, the very first AJ1 was released in the “Bred” colorway—black and red. This choice directly defied NBA regulations, which required players to wear shoes with a higher percentage of white. As a result, the sneaker became an icon. It is even said that Nike chose to pay a fine for every game rather than pull it from the market. This is why it went down in history as the Air Jordan 1 “Banned.”

Today, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of this legendary shoe, Jordan Brand has adopted a marketing strategy that is both amusing and highly effective in generating even more hype around the ultimate sneaker.  

It all started in December with the release of a short video on Instagram. However, the Jordan marketing and communications team soon decided to take the “Banned” nickname quite literally. First, the brand’s social media profiles were “banned,” and now they have completely disappeared. Even on the Nike website, many Jordan images have been censored. But it doesn’t stop there.  

The censorship has extended to the real world: the Jordans worn by Michael Jordan’s statue at the entrance of the United Center—the arena that hosts the Chicago Bulls’ games—have also been “banned.”

At the moment, it is unclear when the images and profiles will be restored, but what we do know is that the Air Jordan 1 High ’85 “Bred” will be available at only 23 select retailers—21 in the United States and 2 in Canada—starting February 7 for $250. Additionally, from February 14, they will be released in a limited edition on the SNKRS App, where fans can explore the sneaker’s history in an episode of Behind the Design.