There’s something about being a Chicago Bull and wearing banned shoes. Michael Jordan did it and Zach LaVine did too!
It must be the Chicago air or the water.
Either way, we know one thing, Windy city players just don’t care about the league rules. And it all started with one man, Michael Jordan.
The popularity of the iconic Air Jordan 1 skyrocketed due to being banned by the NBA. It might have been banned, but that didn’t stop Michael from using it.
He even paid a fine every time he wore it on the court and seeing the sales, Nike was more than happy to cover it. Instances like these have empowered other athletes to wear shoes that were previously banned.
On a day like today 34 years ago, Michael Jordan wore basketball shoes against the Knicks that the NBA would address later in this letter. The “Banned” Air Jordan 1 was born. pic.twitter.com/UPgmMS66h9
— Kicks B/R (@brkicks) October 18, 2018
On a day like today 33 years ago, the NBA banned Michael Jordan’s shoes.
He kept using them and started an empire in the process. pic.twitter.com/4iZhdrVtI5
— Cycle (@cycle) October 18, 2017
Also read: Billionaire Kanye West made comparisons to LeBron James while criticizing Michael Jordan
Zach LaVine wore Kanye West’s banned Yeezy BSKTBL Quantums, emulating Michael Jordan
Although shoe laws are much more relaxed in the modern age and players can wear all kinds of shoes, there are still an occasional ban or two.
In 2020, the NBA banned the Yeezy BSKTBL Quantums entirely. But Zach LaVine channeled the Michael Jordan inside of him and used it anyway.
Both Zach LaVine and Brandon Ingram also wore the Yeezy BSKTBL during Chicago All-Star Weekend. https://t.co/GotSLhdMxd pic.twitter.com/Nz8fDH1lbl
—Nick DePaula (@NickDePaula) December 24, 2020
It must be the Chicago Bulls jersey that allowed them both to wear banned sneakers. All we know is that he created radio waves when it happened. It was peculiar to see Zach LaVine wear Kanye West’s shoes, but the rapper himself announced that Zach would be the face of his brand.
Zach Lavine, the last person I would have thought of taking out Yeezy basketball shoes https://t.co/h2iB48QQwe
– Trooyyboyyy (@Troooyyy__) February 16, 2020
Talk about a strange promotion. The Yeezy BSKTBL Quantums are now a legendary sneaker, and as the years go by their reputation will skyrocket.
Also read: “Michael Jordan did not make music, he stood out for playing basketball; Michael Jackson would have sold more shoes”: Dame Dash lays out why Kanye West and his Yeezy brand with Adidas have gained a lot of ground against the Jordan brand
