NBA Reportedly Axes Jordan Brand’s Plan To Celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the Air Jordan ‘Banned’ Moment [Video]

A marketing dream.

Back in 1984, Michael Jordan was banned from wearing the Black and Red Air Jordan 1 because sneakers at the time had to be 51% white and match your teammates’.

The frivolous rule was eventually lifted in the 2000s, but because it was the ’80s, Nike just paid the $5,000 fine each game and told Jordan to keep rocking them because it gets the people going.

That’s how they earned the “Banned” title—and a commercial playing into it—and on its 40th anniversary, Jordan Brand appears to have had a clever way to celebrate with the NBA’s help—until they didn’t.

“In celebration of 40 years of Air Jordan, the Jordan Brand tried to get its Jumpman logo “banned” on the court, but the NBA pulled the plug at the last minute… Here is what the jerseys were supposed to look like,” Complex Sneakers tweeted.

The jerseys pictured are for the Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks, Boston Celtics, and, of course, …