There was a time when the Air Jordan shoe was a basketball-only staple. The best ballplayers — whether scoring buckets in an NBA arena, a fitness gym or even a popular blacktop court outdoors — would have the shoes draped around their necks, shoelaces tied together.

Somewhere down the road, those shoes began living a double life. They became lounging kicks. Footwear that individuals simply wore around the house. Shoes to play video games in. Kicks to walk around the mall in. And then, different colorways made it acceptable for a specific silhouette to be the final piece of a fashionable display for a fancy event. They were worn with suits and tuxedos, top hats and tails. They were worn with prom dresses, with or without tiaras. They even became a mandatory stipulation for wedding ensembles.

A year of innovation, 1985 was when Nike and Michael Jordan introduced the world to the original Air Jordan shoe. Forty years later, the signature brand still marches on. The designs have changed — some silhouettes now look more intergalactic than others — but the popularity of the brand as a whole remains high.

The Air Jordan 40 was released to the public in July. Multiple reports indicate the Air Jordan 41 will release around the third quarter of 2026.

Exactly how much of an impact has the Jordan signature shoe made across four decades? The Athletic found several of its employees to talk about each silhouette. These individuals have either owned a pair of the shoes they discussed, or at least tried them on and considered purchasing.

Something that was more of a trend: Most of the employees couldn’t field discussions past the Air Jordan 22 — which meant there were holes to be filled. The Athletic then reached out to two self-described sneakerheads in Eric Bradford, an accounts receivable representative from Dallas, and Brent Pollard, a small business owner in the Austin, Texas, area, for their expertise.

Feel free to offer your thoughts on your favorite Jordan signature shoe in the comments section.

(All photos are courtesy of Nike.)

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Air Jordan 1

Jordan 1s, the first in flight, are one of the most iconic sneakers on the planet — and rightfully so. It’s not just their connection to one of basketball’s greatest stars, but also this shoe really kicked off sneaker culture as we know it. The OGs had us all wanting to “Be Like Mike.” Hands down, my favorite silhouette. — Shakeia Taylor, staff writer, NBA

Air Jordan 2

Jordan 2s get a bad rap, tucked between the originals (the 1s) and what some call the gold standard (the 3s). The 2s, in their low-top form, are arguably the best-looking low-top of any Jordan model. They’re the closest Jordans have come to a classic skate shoe in look and feel, and that’s a compliment. —