Vintage Gear: Air Jordan 1 “Jumpman” Promo Poster

Who knew one photo could define a culture-changing movement?

Michael Jordan, clad in Nike gear and a fresh pair of Air Jordan 1s, elevated into this ballet-style pose in 1985, the camera capturing his style in a simple flash. But as cool as the photo was and is, its appeal wasn’t fully realized until two years later when Air Jordan 1 designer Peter Moore dreamed up the idea of tracing the leap and forming the Jumpman logo.

As lore goes, he left prints of the logo behind when he exited Nike in 1987 and young designer Tinker Hatfield, now tasked with designing Air Jordan 3 and keeping Jordan himself from leaving, found them. Hatfield boosted Jordan’s ego by putting the logo front and center on the AJ3’s tongue, and Air Jordan history was made.

Speaking of prints, you can find posters of the original Air Jordan 1 “Jumpman” photo now via eBay.