While some are for basketball and others are not, Air Jordans (often just called “Jordans”) are popular sneakers that many Gen Z teenagers love to wear and show off. But the history behind the sneakers and the search to find new pairs is much more complicated.

Jordans were created in 1984 by Nike but released to the public in 1985. These famous shoes were named after the all-star Chicago Bulls basketball player Michael Jordan. The logo on the shoes shows Jordan jumping to make a shot with the basketball in his hand.  By 1997, Jordans became so popular that they became their own brand. 

Jordans are a bit different from other basketball shoe brands. Jordan basketball shoes are made of high quality natural and synthetic materials. The shoes were originally made out of leather but switched to incorporate more man-made materials over the years. Jordans are very comfortable while exercising, and they have great support for your soles and arches due to good design. 

Lewis freshman Sara Teferi and sophomore Rimas Ahmed are both centers who wear the number 10 jersey on Lewis’ freshman and varsity basketball teams, respectively, and they both are sneaker heads.

Ahmed owns four pairs of Jordans but doesn’t wear them to practice or games. “They are good for basketball, but I don’t want to mess them up,” Ahmed said.

Ahmed has been collecting Jordans since third grade, and her favorite pair is Jump Man Pros, preferably in blue.

“There are many types [of Jordans], like Jordan 4s and Jordans 11s. I love everything about Jordans. I like how they are very comfortable, and this brand has so many basketball shoes,” Ahmed said.

Freshman Sara Teferi has been collecting Jordans for five months but already has five different pairs. Teferi’s favorite pair is the Cool Grays in gray, of course, which she got at StockX.

“I love the look of them and the color ways [the different color styles]. I love the design of the shoes and how they feel on my feet. I started wearing it like 5 months ago and they are really cool,” Teferi said.

Prices for Jordan shoes are expensive because Jordans are so popular with collectors. Brand new Jordans typically cost $250-400. Second-hand Jordans would typically cost up to $150-250. According to menswear style, the most expensive pair of Jordans were two million dollars, specially made of solid gold for rapper Drake. Drake’s Jordans were the exception; most of the today’s top-end  Jordans cost anywhere from $6,000 to $300,000.

Buying Jordans for a reasonable price can be difficult. Nike’s website and store has many varieties of shoes and reasonable prices, but they only offer some pairs of Jordans. 

G.O.A.T. is an online shoe retailer, bidding website, and a popular place to buy Jordans. G.O.A.T shoe prices are based on shoe size, and the most common shoe sizes are the most expensive. G.O.A.T can be overpriced, but they have one fee while another online shoe retailer, StockX has two. 

Scams exist because of online thieves. For instance, tiktok may direct you to a website that looks convincing with reasonable prices. Yet sometimes when you order, you don’t get the shoes, or  sometimes when you order, the shoes are either fake or in bad shape. Potential buyers can avoid scams by going to StockX, G.O.A.T, Footlocker, or Nike.

Sneaker heads of all ages, at Lewis and beyond, continue to buy and enjoy Jordans just as they did in past decades. The biggest reason why the Air Jordan sneakers are so popular and why fans continue to buy them is because they offer high-quality performance products.