From iconic pose to rap royalty: The fascinating history of the Jumpman logo

The logo has become an essential part of the pop culture lexicon – but where did it come from?

Sajid Khan
Published : 5 May 2023, 01:13 PM
Updated : 5 May 2023, 01:13 PM

I’ve seen many people, basketball and sneakerheads, fall over themselves for Nike’s Air Jordan line of shoes. They carry popularity, prestige, and a high price tag, but many don’t actually know the history of the world-famous Jumpman logo. 

It starts with the man who struck the legendary pose in the first place – Michael Jordan, still considered by many the greatest basketball player of all time. 

The six-time NBA champion and Chicago Bulls powerhouse is still one of the most recognisable athletes in the sport. 

Like many other players of the time, Jordan used to wear Converse kicks when he started, but that changed when Nike made him his own line of signature sneakers. 

The original Air Jordans came out in 1985, well before Jordan had reached the peak of his athletic powers. Similarly, it wasn’t until 1988, with the Air Jordan III that the Jumpman logo made its debut. 

But the idea of the logo – where Jordan soars through the air, legs split with basketball in hand – comes much earlier, from before Jordan had a sneaker deal or even played for the Bulls.

In 1984, Life Magazine released a special edition for the run-up to the Olympics. Jordan, a young star in the making, was featured as one of Team USA’s great hopes. In a photograph by Jacobus Rentmeester, Jordan leaps into the sky, ball in hand, legs split, heading for the hoop. It’s a striking image, combining the power and physicality of the player’s athleticism with the grace and elegance of ballet. 

As a promotional ad for his Air Jordan sneakers, Jordan recreated that image for Nike in a slightly different form. One with the Chicago skyline in the background. 

Naturally, this led to a host of copyright issues. Peter Moore, then head of design at Nike, experimented with the photo layout, but couldn’t find one that satisfied all parties. This led to the original Air Jordan wings logo on the first two iterations of the sneakers. 

After he departed from the company, Tinker Hatfield took the reins and created the current Jumpman logo. 

The design is simple, clean, and instantly recognisable. It has become timeless because of its immediate impact and dynamism. No matter what colour or form it takes, the energy of the pose remains consistent.

The shoes used bold colours like white, black, and red. Black imbued the brand with leadership and strength, white added freshness and simplicity, while red displayed intensity and passion.

They’re also legendary for their quality, and the distinct feeling wearers get of walking on air. 

But we should remember that the most significant selling point for the shoes was the man behind the pose. Nike touted that the sneakers were for those with a winning mentality. And few people on the planet can embody that mentality more intensely than Jordan. 

His bullheaded determination and drive to compete were second to none. Throughout the 90s, he completely dominated the basketball world. The NBA even banned the Air Jordan I from the court due to its vibrant colours. But Jordan, determined to represent the sneakers, kept wearing them and took continuous fines.

That aura carried over to the shoes, which promised to give the wearer the same charisma and confidence.

Despite Jordan’s explosive success and tenacity, the shoes' high price and distinct design didn’t catch on immediately. It wasn’t until Hatfield’s Air Jordan III design that the brand became electric.

Wrapped in an elephant print with luxurious tumbled leather and a red Jumpman logo on the tongue, the Air Jordan III quickly became famous as the first mid-cut basketball shoe. It has since become one of the most celebrated fashion articles in history.

Over time, Nike got better at marketing their sneakers, too, bringing in more fun, out-of-the-box ideas like the delightful Spike Lee commercial that looks at Jordan’s success and asks – is it the shoes?

Jordans have become a pop culture institution. They feature in movies as varied as the art house extravaganza Do the Right Thing and box office blockbuster Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. They’re been repped by celebrities as notable as Travis Scott, Nicki Minaj, Eminem, and Bugs Bunny. Drake and Future even dedicated an entire song to the Jumpman logo as a symbol of their own power, rebelliousness, and pizzaz.

The shoes are so popular that replicas have flooded markets for decades and are bought worldwide. A tip for those trying to find a pair of genuine Jordans is to focus on the price, the packaging, the placement of the Nike and Jumpman logos (on the side and on the top of the tongue) and the tag under the tongue label.

Nike probably had some sense that Michael Jordan would be a worthwhile collaborator when they stole him from Adidas. Still, it’s unlikely that they thought they would release the 37th iteration of the sneakers bearing his brand 38 years later. Nor would they have imagined that the brand would have grown to be worth nearly $5 billion.

But the Jumpman logo is truly a testament to the undeniable legacy of Michael Jordan.

This article is part of Stripe, bdnews24.com's special publication focusing on culture and society from a youth perspective.