Michael Jordan not only influenced the way the game of basketball is played, but he’s also been a huge part of the sneaker culture due to his decision to sign with Nike. Looking back, it was one of the best decisions Jordan made in his superstar career.

Jordan signed with Nike in 1984. The shoe company wasn’t the powerhouse it is today, as Converse and Adidas ruled the sneaker business for marquee athletes. The Chicago Bulls legend first signed a five-year contract worth $500,000 per year as a legacy deal. According to MJ, it was the promised shoeline that made him join forces with Nike.

In his rookie year, it was claimed that his famous Air Jordan 1s which the NBA banned due to its color breaking the league’s uniform rules. According to legend, Nike and Jordan had to pay $5,000 to the league each time he wore the pair. But this was all part of a marketing campaign by Nike.

According to a story written by Yahoo! Sports, Jordan never wore the signature black-and-red pair known as Breds. Instead, he donned a shoe called the “Air Ship” in a black-and-red colorway in a preseason game in October 1984. The only time he wore the Bred was in the 1985 dunk contest in February 1985.

Jordan did wear the white-black-and-red AJ1, now known as Chicagos, in games, including his iconic 63-point performance against the Boston Celtics in his second season.

In the end, the marketing campaign paid off as Jordan’s shoes became one of his biggest influences, aside from his talent on the court. MJ’s status as a player helped Nike in terms of shoe sales leading to them creating Jordan Brand.

According to the legend himself, he’s involved in almost all of the designs that have influenced his pairs. Jordan made sure that all his shoes are top-notch.

“I’m involved with everything. Nothing passes me without me input and my collaboration, which I’ve always had input in all the shoes … We try to make the best technical basketball shoes that we could,” Jordan said.