Air Jordan(s), also known simply as Jordans, are a brand of shoes and athletic apparel produced by Nike originally designed for and endorsed by NBA Hall of Famer and Six Time NBA Champion Michael Jordan. The Air Jordan line is now sold by the Jordan Brand subsidiary of Nike. Air Jordans were first released in 1985, with new designs released annually.
The many styles and color schemes offered for the Air Jordan over the years have spurred a large secondary collectors market. Shoe collectors are known to buy, sell and trade Air Jordans through eBay, sneaker conventions, consignment stores such as Sole Control in Philadelphia and Flight Club in New York City, and sneaker forums such as Niketalk & ISS. Sneakerheads, as collectors are known, classify the Air Jordan line by release year and model: Originals (The first edition of a particular model from its initial launch), Retros (Re-issues of older styles), Retro-pluses (Retro +, Air Jordans that are similar to the Original product, with more up-to-date changes or new color ways), Player Exclusive (PE, Air Jordans that are exclusive to certain athletes in the realm of sports) and Samples. Air Jordan currently sponsors 19 active NBA players. Of those 19 players, 10 players have made the All-star team at least once, 3 have won the NBA Championship, and 5 have won Olympic Medals. Their main endorser is Dwyane Wade, who plays shooting guard for the Miami Heat. He is a NBA Champion (2006), NBA Finals MVP (2006), 7 time All-star (2005-2011), scoring champion (2009), and 2 time NBA-All First Team (2009-2010). Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony are also key endorsers.
