Nike Turned Michael Jordan’s Iconic Jumpman Photoshoot Into a Jacket
One of the most iconic logos in all of footwear is getting memorialized on a new piece of outerwear from Nike, Inc.’s Jordan Brand.
Dubbed the Air Jordan Skyline Gore-Tex Jacket, the new jacket is emblazoned with the Chicago skyline on the front while a young Michael Jordan is featured on the back in his signature Jumpman pose. The imagery is culled directly from the photoshoot which birthed the now-iconic Jumpman logo.
In the shoot, Jordan dressed in a black-and-red Nike Air Jordan Flight Suit to match his “Black Toe” Air Jordan 1s — a sneaker which coincidentally will be rereleased at retail on Saturday — as he soared toward the basket as if he were dunking.
However, in a 1997 interview with Hoop Magazine, Jordan dropped a sneaker bombshell, revealing that he wasn’t actually dunking the ball in the image.
Watch on FN
“I wasn’t even dunking on that one,” Jordan told the publication. “People think that I was. I just stood on the floor, jumped up and spread my legs and they took the picture. I wasn’t even running. Everyone thought I did that by running and taking off. Actually, it was a ballet move where I jumped up and spread my legs. And I was holding the ball in my left hand.”
And as Jordan historians may know, the image of the basketball legend wearing the “Black Toe” Air Jordan 1 wasn’t actually the first time he was pictured in the position.
During a 1984 photoshoot for Life magazine, a fresh-out-of-college Jordan was photographed by Co Rentmeester as a member of Team USA. With New Balance sneakers on foot (a detail referenced by Chicago designer Joe Freshgoods on a 2023 collaboration), Jordan pulled off the first documented Jumpman pose. In 2015, Rentmeester’s photo would become the subject of controversy after he attempted to sue Nike over the logo’s origins. The case was dismissed in 2018.
The weather-resistant Air Jordan Skyline Jacket is beginning to arrive at the brand’s e-commerce store, first in big kids’ sizing with an adult Gore-Tex version set to follow.
Priced at $130, the big kids’ version uses a water-resistant polyester and features what’s described as a roomy cut with dropped shoulders for ease of layering. Meanwhile, the adult version, which used a fully waterproof Gore-Tex fabric, is priced at $500 and is expected to be released soon.
