Last night the Jumpman store in Downtown Los Angeles held a screening of the documentary film “Unbanned: The Legend of AJ1.” Sneaker fans came out the flagship store to watch the film on the lighted rooftop basketball court, which was followed by a Q&A the with writer and director of the film, as well as a few celebrities who have been inspired by the iconic shoe.
Unbanned: The Legend of AJ1 tells the story of the very first shoe that NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan wore when he first entered the NBA. At the time, Nike was struggling to become a household name in the NBA. Athletes predominantly wore either Adidas or Converse shoes during games, so Nike decided to take a gamble and invest everything they had on Jordan. He became the very first person who had a shoe created and designed specifically for him. The end result was a shoe that donned a red and black colorway, which at the time was not allowed in the NBA.
The film is written and directed by Dexton Deboree and features a long list of celebrities, athletes, fashion designers, musicians, and Nike employees, all of who have been impacted in some way or another by the shoe. Some of the celebrities that share their personal stories about the shoe are Mark Wahlberg, Anthony Anderson, Spike Lee, Michael B. Jordan, Jason Sudeikis, Lena Waithe, and DJ Khaled. Jordan-sponsored athletes Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony also make an appearance in the film, as well as former NBA commissioner David Stern, who gives his own account on the ban of the AJ1.
The documentary is currently available only on the streaming service Hulu, but will soon be made available digitally and globally on May 14th. To announce the upcoming release of the film, the Jordan brand has partnered up with the documentary film to promote their “Unbanned Unboxed” campaign. Starting on May 6th and ending at midnight PST on May 13th, this week-long campaign will give Jordan fans a chance to win one of the 23 rare Jordan items. These items include an extremely rare and highly coveted pair of 1985 OG AJ1’s, special collectible AJ1’s such as the Black Toe, Banned Bred, and Off-White, and limited edition pairs of the AJ1.
To enter the sweepstakes, fans can visit www.unbannedunboxed.com and purchase an entry for $23. Unbanned has partnered up with “Wings”, the Jordan Brand community outreach program, to donate a portion of each $23 purchase, towards local charities across the country who focus on helping the underserved youth. These charities provide countless education and mentorships to the children to help them reach and attain their lifelong goals.
Unbanned: The Legend of the AJ1 will be available digitally on May 14, 2019. You can read our review of the documentary here
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