When Air Jordan debuted on the NBA courts, it broke all rules (literally). And then some sales records. Nike was expecting to sell 100K pairs–a modest target. But it met with a hiccup on the get-go. The bold color choice – red and black – was a bit too much for the NBA. They banned it. Nike, in a genius marketing move, came up with the tagline: ‘NBA cannot stop you from wearing these shoes.’

They ended up selling 4M pairs of Air Jordan 1 in 1985.

But four decades later, it appears Air Jordan has lost its grip. Both inside and outside the court, the Michael Jordan signature shoeline is losing ground. In 2025, only one Air Jordan finds its place in the list of most-worn Nike kicks inside the court. It’s not in the top three as well. The new king in the court? Kobe 6. And for good reasons, too. But before that, what explains Air Jordan’s fall from grace? 

Decline of Air Jordans in the NBA

In the ’90s, the Air Jordans were a cultural statement. But in 2023, a Reuters report revealed that in the resale market, the Air Jordan’s value has slipped as well. On top of it, the revenue from Air Jordan sales has plummeted. For instance, consider these numbers: 

• At StockX, Air Jordan 1 Retro High slipped from 61% in 2020 to 4% in 2023.
• The market share of Air Jordan in Stock X has dropped by 12% y-o-y between 2023 and 2024.
• Air Jordan accounted for only 16% of Nike’s 2023 revenue compared to 29% in the 2022 fiscal year. 

While the resell platform doesn’t impact Nike’s revenue stream directly, it denotes a larger shift among the buyers. They are moving away from Air Jordan. Industry trend also suggests that people are demanding more performance running sneakers than lifestyle or retro style ones. Air Jordan has faltered big-time on that front.

Another point is that Nike has shot itself in the foot with Air Jordan’s oversupply. StockX CEO Josh Luber noted in a chat with Jefferies analyst Randy Konik that the Oregon HQ brand has continued to bump the supply and retail price of Retro Jordans to the point that they are not getting sold out. Over time, that has hurt the reputation and brand image.

While that covers the case of outside the court, the numbers inside the court, too, reveal a similar picture. An analysis of KixStats data clearly shows that Air Jordan has lost its charm among professionals, while the Kobe shoeline continues to gain momentum.

Kobe vs Air Jordan: We’ve a Clear Winner

Last month’s data from KixStats – which tracks the kicks that NBA players wear on the court – shows that Nike’s Kobe model is still dominating. In fact, four of the Kobe models released between 2009 and 2013 are still inside the top ten. More importantly, Nike Sabrina 2, which was launched last June, still trails behind the Kobe 6 at the top. 

• Josh Hurt, Jalen Brunson, and Dwight Powell highlight the strong lineup of Nike’s Kobe 6. 
• 48% of Kobe 6 faithfuls are point guards, 39% are forwards, and 13% are centers. 
• Overall, 465 players picked Kobe 6, 183 picked Kobe V, 135 went with Kobe IV Proto, and 132 players chose Kobe 8. 

Comparably, Air Jordan 39 – the only one inside the top-ten– was the choice for 159 players. It enjoyed a total of 3,508 minutes inside the court, less than half of Kobe 6 (8,454 minutes). Interestingly, in the Q1FY25 earnings call,  CFO Matt Friend shared that the sales of the Kobe sub-brand had quadrupled in the last year. The lion’s share of that also came from selling Kobe signature line footwear.

Hypebeast reported that the Oregon HQ brand released 15 silhouettes of Kobe’s kicks. While the exact data of sales from last year is not available, from Nike’s push towards Kobe shoes, it’s evident that Black Mamba still reigns supreme. If we have to trace the history of its popularity and continuing appeal, we need to travel back to the late 2000s when Kobe Bryant single-handedly shook the sneakers industry.

The secret sauce behind Kobe’s success

Since the time Kobe Bryant made the switch from Adidas to Nike in 2003, his signature shoe line has been markedly different from the rest. Kobe shoes always focused more on performance than aesthetics. But no one was prepared for the extent to which Bryant was willing to push the boundaries. 

The low-top design – a collaboration between Kobe Bryant and Nike’s Eric Avar – changed the game. “I want to prove to people that you can wear a low-top basketball shoe,” Avar recounted Bryant telling him, in an Esquire interview. Bryant saw that despite having the same risk of ankle injury, soccer players use low-ankle cleats for better mobility. Bryant felt he could do it too – and he was right.

The 2009 model, Nike Zoom Kobe IV, changed the game. For Basketball and Nike both. Because of its being lightweight – it barely weighed 11.1 ounces – and low-ankle, Kobe IV had an appeal beyond hoopers. The appeal of that is yet to wear off.

Of course, Bryant’s image helps.

Indeed, when Nike’s contract with Bryant expired in 2021 and the talks with Vanessa Bryant were stalled for 18 months, many athletes expressed their dismay. DeMar DeRozan of the Chicago Bulls admitted that he stopped giving away sneakers, realizing there might not be an endless supply anymore. Talen Horton-Tucker and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope jokingly asked if anyone had any Kobe sneakers to sell.

It’s of little surprise that last year, the Kobe 6 was the most worn sneaker among NBA players. Kobe 4 and Kobe 5 were the fourth and fifth most popular shoes. It looks likely that the trend is going to continue in the coming months as well. As the early trend reveals on KixStats, Kobe 6 and Sabrina 2 will continue to dominate in March and likely the entire season. Let’s not forget that Nike is bringing new Kobe models as well.

For Air Jordan to regain its lost footing, Nike needs to come up with newer ideas and rope in innovative technologies like they are doing for the Sabrina and Kobe lines. The innovation must come in the performance and not just aesthetics. Till then, it looks like we are in an era of Kobe dominance.