FLOAT 100 · Sneakers · No. 65

Air Jordan 1 Retro High OG 'Bred / Banned'

Nike built the Air Jordan legend on a black-and-red shoe the NBA supposedly banned; the letter the league actually sent was about a different shoe, and the 2016 'Banned' retro is the faithful version of the myth.

Year: 2016
Maker: Nike / Jordan Brand
By price in sneakers: 68 of 100

Market asking price, not a sale · Oct 3, 2026$408This is not a sale. It is an asking price, and no transaction is recorded at this figure.

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Model: Air Jordan 1 Retro High OG 'Banned' (also called 'Bred'), style code 555088-001
Colorway: Black/Varsity Red-White
Release: September 3, 2016, Labor Day weekend, at Jordan Brand retailers and Nike's SNKRS draw
Retail price: $160 men's; $120 grade school (575441-001)
Unveiled: July 21, 2016, at a Jordan Brand event in Las Vegas
Key details: Full leather upper, Nike Air on the tongue, white midsole, red outsole, no 'X' on the heel
The real ban: The NBA's February 1985 letter concerned the Nike Air Ship, not the Air Jordan 1
Production: Not published by Nike in any source found

The shoe the league didn't actually ban

The story Nike told goes like this: Michael Jordan stepped onto the court as a rookie in black and red shoes, the NBA banned them, and Nike happily paid a $5,000 fine every time he wore them. The NBA's uniform rules called for shoes that matched teammates' and were at least 51 percent white. The black-and-red Air Jordan 1, by one count only 23 percent white, became the shoe of the legend.

The paper trail tells a narrower story. NBA executive vice president Russ Granik wrote to Nike in February 1985 that league rules prohibited 'certain red and black Nike basketball shoes' worn by Jordan 'on or around October 18th, 1984.' That date was a preseason game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, and the shoe Jordan was wearing was almost certainly the Nike Air Ship; the Air Jordan 1 had not reached stores yet.

Nike turned the warning into marketing anyway. A commercial for the Air Jordan 1 blacked out the shoes and closed on the idea that the NBA could throw them out of the game but couldn't stop you from wearing them. No evidence has surfaced that the $5,000-a-game fines were ever paid.

1985: a $65 rebellion

Peter Moore designed the Air Jordan 1, and it went on sale on April 1, 1985, at $65, with the black-and-red pair among the first colorways. Jordan later said the black-and-red pair looked 'like the Devil's shoe.' He wore Air Jordan 1s in the 1985 Slam Dunk Contest, with two gold chains around his neck.

Jordan's rookie season delivered on the hype: 28.2 points a game over all 82 games, Rookie of the Year and an All-Star selection. The first 50,000 pairs sold out, and the shoe went on to generate more than $150 million in sales.

Retro after retro

The black-and-red Air Jordan 1 has come back repeatedly. A 2001 retro was made in 38,345 pairs, according to one history. A 2011 'Banned' retro, an outlet-only June release known for soft leather, added a tonal 'X' to the heel to signal the ban. A 2013 retro returned to ordinary retailers.

Jordan Brand unveiled the 2016 version on July 21, 2016, at an event in Las Vegas, and released it on September 3, 2016, for $160, with grade-school sizes at $120. It dropped the heel 'X,' kept Nike Air on the tongue and used a leather build closer to the 1985 shoe. The 2016 'Banned' campaign also produced a satin version limited to 501 pairs, released on October 18, the anniversary of the date in the NBA letter.

On October 3, 2026, a new pair of 555088-001 was listed at a sneaker resale shop at $408.

How to identify the 2016 pair

Check style code 555088-001 on the size tag and box label. The colorway is Black/Varsity Red-White: a full black-and-red leather upper over a white midsole and a red rubber outsole.

Compared with the 2011 'Banned,' the 2016 pair has a clean heel with no 'X.' Compared with the satin edition of the same year, it uses ordinary leather. The tongue carries a Nike Air label rather than a Jumpman.

Why it matters

The 'Banned' story may rest on a different shoe, but it gave the Air Jordan line its outlaw origin, and the black-and-red Air Jordan 1 remains the colorway most tied to that story. In 2016 Nike leaned into the legend again, using a 'Banned' campaign to launch the Air Jordan 31 in the original colors.

For collectors, the 2016 retro is the remastered black-and-red Air Jordan 1 of its era, sitting next to the 2015 'Chicago' and 2017 'Royal' in the same 555088 run.

The numbers

Style code: 555088-001 (grade school 575441-001)
Colorway: Black/Varsity Red-White
Release date: September 3, 2016
Retail price: $160 men's; $120 grade school
Production: Not published by Nike in any source found
Original 1985 retail: $65

Timeline

Oct 18, 1984
Jordan wears black-and-red Nike Air Ships in a preseason game at Madison Square Garden.
Feb 1985
NBA executive vice president Russ Granik writes to Nike about the red-and-black shoes.
Apr 1, 1985
The Air Jordan 1 goes on sale at $65.
1985
Jordan wears Air Jordan 1s in the Slam Dunk Contest and is named Rookie of the Year.
2001
The black-and-red Air Jordan 1 returns as a retro.
Jun 2011
An outlet-only 'Banned' retro releases with an 'X' on the heel.
2013
Another black-and-red retro reaches traditional retailers.
Jul 21, 2016
Jordan Brand unveils the 2016 'Banned' Air Jordan 1 in Las Vegas.
Sep 3, 2016
The Air Jordan 1 Retro High OG 'Banned' 555088-001 releases at $160.
Oct 18, 2016
A satin 'Banned' version limited to 501 pairs releases on the anniversary of the date in the NBA letter.
Oct 3, 2026
A new pair is listed at $408 at a sneaker resale shop.

The world in 2016

Jun 3, 2016
Muhammad Ali dies at 74.
Jun 19, 2016
The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Golden State Warriors in seven games for the NBA title.
Jul 4, 2016
NASA's Juno spacecraft enters orbit around Jupiter.
Aug 31, 2016
The first commercial flight from the U.S. to Cuba in 50 years takes off.
Sep 24, 2016
The National Museum of African American History and Culture opens in Washington, D.C.
Sep 26, 2016
Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton hold their first televised debate.
Nov 2, 2016
The Chicago Cubs win their first World Series since 1908.

Price record

$100$1,000

Date	Price	Kind
Sep 3, 2016	$160	Asking price, not a saleOriginal retail price, men's sizing.
Oct 3, 2026	$408	Asking price, not a saleAsking price for a new pair at a sneaker resale shop. An asking price, not a sale.

This is an asking price, not a sale. It is what a seller wanted on the date shown. Asking prices often sit above what buyers pay, but an ask is not a ceiling: a sale can land on either side of it. It is not a value.

By reference price, Air Jordan 1 Retro High OG 'Bred / Banned' is number 68 of 100 in the sneakers entries of the FLOAT 100. 22 of those 100 rest on a realized sale; the rest carry an asking price or a guide value, and each page says which. Rank within the FLOAT 100 itself (65 here) is editorial: how much an object defines its field, not price alone.

Did you know

The NBA letter that launched the 'Banned' legend referred to a game 'on or around October 18th, 1984,' before the Air Jordan 1 was in stores.
The shoe Jordan wore that night was almost certainly the Nike Air Ship.
No evidence has surfaced that Nike ever paid the famous $5,000-per-game fines.
The 2011 'Banned' retro had an 'X' on the heel; the 2016 version removed it.
A satin 'Banned' Air Jordan 1 made in 2016 was limited to 501 pairs.
Jordan said the black-and-red pair looked 'like the Devil's shoe.'

How this page is made

The figure: One reference price, shown with its own kind. FLOAT does not average it with anything or adjust it for time.
Realized or not: A realized price is a completed sale. An asking price, an estimate and a price-guide value are not sales, and are labeled as such wherever they appear.
The story: Researched from published records and checked fact by fact. Updated Oct 3, 2026.
Archive: Oct 5, 2026