Here is the history of Nike Air Jordan Shoes. During early 1984, Nike was in serious jeopardy in the fast paced sportswear market. Suffering from its ""white man jogging brand"" image, Nike had no credit in the basketball world. The running shoe phenomenon that had fueled their sales in previous years was slowly dying, and they needed a way to revitalize and reinvent themselves in order to appeal to another segment of the market. That is when Nike saw something special in the rookie player Michael Jordan, they saw an opportunity. Nike signed Jordan to a $2.5 million deal for 5 years, plus royalties and other fringe benefits.
      Now, Nike Air Jordan Shoes, or simply Jordans are a brand of shoes produced by Nike originally designed for and endorsed by professional NBA basketball player Michael Jordan. The Air Jordan line is now sold by Jordan Brand, a sub-division of Nike. Since its first release in 1984, there have been new designs of the shoe released each year, even after Michael Jordan retired from the NBA.