The per-game fine associated with Michael Jordan’s banned Nike shoes was $5,000.
In the mid-1980s, NBA uniform rules required basketball shoes to contain at least 51 percent white and to be consistent with the footwear worn by the rest of a team. Jordan’s conspicuous black-and-red Nike shoes violated that standard because they used the Chicago Bulls’ colors but contained too little white.
Nike turned the controversy into a marketing advantage. The company agreed to cover the $5,000 fine for each game in which Jordan wore the nonconforming shoes, allowing the story to reinforce the image of the Air Jordan line as rebellious and innovative. Nike’s famous “Banned” advertising campaign made the penalty part of sneaker folklore.
A common mix-up is saying Jordan personally absorbed every fine. The amount was the NBA’s per-game penalty, while Nike reportedly paid it under its endorsement arrangement. Another source of confusion is whether the earliest fined shoe was the Air Jordan 1 or the Nike Air Ship prototype.