Vintage Gear: Air Jordan Slam Dunk Contest Jacket & Shorts Set

Our latest Jordans Daily Vintage Gear installment shines light on a rare find, indeed. This is an original Nike Air Jordan jacket and shorts set from the late 1980s, covered in a mosaic of mid-flight Michael Jordan poses as he performed in the 1985 NBA Slam Dunk Contest.

Now, Nike is famous for loud, all-over prints from the ’80s and into the ’90s with collections like the Andre Agassi signature line and Bo Jackson category. But little MJs dunking all over your clothes is definitely one of the hidden highlights of the era and a testament to the pop culture power of Air Jordan that early in his career. 

That ’85 contest, if you remember, had a rookie Jordan – in his Nike warmups, “Chicago” script Bulls jersey, gold chains and black/red Air Jordan 1 – facing off against the likes of Julius Erving, Clyde Drexler, Dominique Wilkins, Darrell Griffith, Orlando Woolridge, Terrence Stansbury, and Larry Nance. All guys who could fly with serious ease.

As it turns out, young MJ and then third-year pro Wilkins battled in the contest finals, each dunker bringing out his classic repertoire in what would be a preview of their rematch in 1988. Dominique outlasted Michael with a final dunking score of 147 to 136, as Wilkins’ two perfect “50” dunks proved too tough to overcome.

Reminiscing aside, if you want to add this very unusual piece to your collection, it’s up for grabs now via hpc503 on eBay. Enjoy the photos, as well as a quick ’85 Dunk Contest video of MJ doing his thing, below.