The Air Jordan sneaker turns 40 this year. Luke Burbank traces the origins of the iconic shoe back to NBA legend Michael Jordan's first meeting with Nike, then a relatively small sneaker company in Oregon.

Chicago

The Air Jordan, first released by Nike in 1985, has reached its 40th anniversary, maintaining its status as the most successful basketball shoe in history. Initially, Michael Jordan was hesitant to meet with Nike, but a unique $2.5 million endorsement deal convinced him to sign, leading to unprecedented sales of $126 million in the first year, far surpassing expectations.

The shoe's success is attributed not only to Jordan's performance but also to innovative marketing and design that made it a fashion statement. Over four decades, the Jordan brand has grown into a standalone division within Nike, generating billions in revenue annually. Michael Jordan remains closely involved in the brand's creative process, and the Air Jordan continues to influence sneaker culture and inspire new generations.

The Air Jordan turns 40

In Queens, NY, more than 200 people lined up to pay $200 for a shoe most of them already owned, the Nike Air Jordan. The most successful basketball shoe in history turns 40 this year, and yet, it almost didn't happen. He did not want to be there, and he had told his agent, I'm not going. Howard White was in the room back in 1984 when Michael Jordan, then a rookie, short on NBA experience, but long on potential, was basically dragged to Oregon by his parents to meet with a relatively small sneaker company called Nike. This is bigger than anything that we've done. Typically, a great player would get like $100,000, but this was so unique in terms of just doing it. The offer, $2.5 million to wear their shoes, triple what anyone else in the league was making. Air Jordan by Nike. Jordan took the deal, and the rest is sneaker history. Nothing's hotter. When Nike launched the Air Jordans back in 1985, they hoped to sell $3 million worth of product. Instead, they sold $126 million in one year. There's a kaboom. Look out. What a jam. Here's Jordan down the middle, all the way. Much of that success was thanks to Jordan's incredible play on the court. Kaboom. And that's what they came to see, didn't they? But there was also Nike's marketing approach, which was groundbreaking in its own right, joining the cultural conversation in ways few commercials for basketball shoes ever had. It's gotta be a shoe. It's gotta be a shoe. A shoe. But don't forget the shoe's design itself, a process that managed to blend sports technology with a set of aesthetic principles that would make Jordans as much a fashion statement as a basketball shoe, as evidenced by the Christian Dior Jordans Howard White was wearing for our interview, which retail for up to $17,000. In order to translate what he did as a man into what we do as a brand, you have to start with a series of principles. We call them ethos. Forty years later, that design work falls to Jason Maiden, chief design officer for the Jordan brand, which these days is a standalone division within Nike that generates some $7 billion a year by itself. You first start with connectivity, why this product has relevance and reverence. Then you put that into a very strict process that we call visioneering, and so what's interesting is we have a playbook. I can't show you what's in it. But you can show me the outside? I can show you the cover. It's beautiful. If you could peek inside, you'd probably see one of the designs for their yearly Air Jordan release. Yes, Nike has been releasing a new pair of Jordans every year for the last 40 years. Does a lot of the stuff that your team designs, does Michael Jordan get eyes on it still, a lot of it? Like how central is he to the operation here in 2025, 40 years in? Oh, he's very integral. He's very integral to the operation. He sees everything. He trusts us a lot. He has opinions on things that are near and dear to him. It has given me my life's purpose. Shawn Williams founded the Soul Shoals Studies Community Academy in Brooklyn, a program dedicated to studying, promoting, and collecting shoes. Sneakers are wearable art. You're giving the sneakers a level of depth and AKA storytelling that convinces the consumer that they're making the right purchase when they buy these sneakers. But for Howard White, who still works at Nike and still talks to Michael Jordan often, the Air Jordan success is because it's not actually the story of a shoe. It's the story of something much bigger. It's totally transcended basketball at this point, right? There have been a lot of basketball shoes. It's not about basketball. And if this simple article of footwear can make people interpret themselves in a way that gives them just the power to believe more in themselves, that's what the Jordan brand is about.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia is back in ICE custody and is facing deportation to Uganda, the Department of Homeland Security says, after he was released from criminal custody last week.

Baltimore

Abrego Garcia in ICE custody, court blocks immediate deportation

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he will meet with the U.S. and other countries this week to discuss a potential meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin aimed at reaching a ceasefire.

Kyiv

Ukraine Invasion

Zelenskiy say he will meet with U.S., others on potential Putin talks

U.S. President Donald Trump says Chicago could be the next city to see National Guard deployment, sparking strong opposition from Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, who argue crime is already falling and federal intervention is unnecessary.

Trump threatens to send National Guard troops to Chicago

Four journalists working with Reuters, Al Jazeera and others were killed in explosions at a Gaza hospital. Gaza officials blame Israeli drone strikes, though CBS News has not independently verified the claims.

Jerusalem

Middle East Conflict

Four journalists reported dead after Gaza hospital blasts

U.S. National Guard troops patrolling the streets of Washington D.C. as part of what President Donald Trump said was his crackdown on crime began carrying weapons on Sunday night, two officials said.

Washington

National Guard patrolling Washington DC begin carrying weapons

In a visit to Kyiv, Prime Minister Mark Carney affirmed Canada’s support for Ukraine and committed to sending soldiers if a ceasefire with Russia is reached.

Carney in Kyiv pledges support, possibly troops for Ukraine

The Pickett Fire is growing in California's Napa County, prompting new evacuations as it threatens homes and wineries. The flames, fueled by scorching temperatures and dry conditions, are being battled by hundreds of first responders.

Napa Valley

Evacuations ordered in California as heatwave fuels wildfire

Democrats are pushing back against President Trump's plan to send the National Guard to more cities, including Chicago, New York and Baltimore, as troops continue to patrol Washington, D.C. State and local leaders say they have crime under control.

Democrats slam Trump's plans to send National Guard to more cities

Beef prices are at record highs with the average price of a pound of ground beef topping $6. Lisa Rozner reports on what's causing prices to soar.

Why U.S beef prices are soaring

A defiant Ukraine marked its independence from the former Soviet Union Sunday amid more fighting with Russia. Chris Livesay reports on how world leaders joined in, voicing their support.

Ukraine marks its Independence Day as war with Russia continues

The boats are produced by unknown Turkish companies and are then sent disassembled in multiple shipments to avoid suspicion in what authorities say is for the sole purpose of trafficking migrants across the English Channel.

Sofia

Inflatable boats used for migrant trafficking seized

Less than 24 hours after he was released from jail, Kilmar Ábrego García was told that U.S. immigration officials plan to deport him to Uganda. The Salvadoran national, who has been living illegally in the U.S. since about 2011, was wrongly deported to his home country earlier this year.

Maryland

Kilmar Abrego Garcia told he may be sent to Uganda

Erik and Lyle Menendez remain behind bars, their hopes for release dashed by two separate parole boards more than three decades after murdering their parents. Elise Preston reports.

Los Angeles

Erik and Lyle Menendez denied parole

Tourism in Las Vegas is slumping this summer, costing the city billions. That could signal trouble ahead for the U.S. economy. Andres Gutierrez has new details.

Las Vegas

Las Vegas tourism slumps this summer, signaling trouble for U.S. economy

Texas Republicans took a victory lap after an early morning vote Saturday that sought to give their party an edge during the 2026 midterms. Democrats in Texas plan to challenge the legality of the new congressional map, saying it dilutes the power of minorities.

Austin

Texas Republicans take victory lap after redistricting vote

Israel has called the United Nations' declaration of famine in parts of Gaza an "outright lie," but multiple U.N. bodies, more than 100 humanitarian groups, and several of Israel's own allies have warned for months that the war is causing starvation among civilians.

Tel Aviv-Yafo

Israel denies U.N.'s declaration of famine in parts of Gaza

U.S. President Donald Trump says he will impose sanctions on Russia if it fails to reach a peace deal in Ukraine within two weeks. But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia’s ongoing attacks on his country show that President Vladimir Putin is not interested in peace.

Putin’s not interested in peace talks, Zelenskyy says

Lyle Menendez was denied parole late Friday night following a day-long hearing in California, just one day after his brother Erik's parole appeal was also rejected. The brothers have been in prison since 1996 for killing their parents in what they say was an act of self-defense.

Both Menendez brothers denied parole

At least five people are dead and dozens are injured after a tour bus traveling from Niagara Falls flipped over on the New York State Thruway near Pembroke, New York.

Pembroke

Western New York bus crash kills at least five people

Federal agents searched former Trump adviser-turned-critic John Bolton's home on Friday morning. President Donald Trump denied knowing about the investigation, which is related to his handling of classified documents.

Bethesda

FBI raids former Trump adviser John Bolton's home, office

The FBI searched former national security adviser John Bolton's house in Bethesda, Maryland, early Friday morning, the bureau confirmed to CBS News.

FBI raids former Trump adviser John Bolton's home, D.C. office

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland construction worker deported to El Salvador and then returned to the U.S. on smuggling charges, has been released from prison in Tennessee, his attorneys say.

Nashville

Kilmar Abrego Garcia released from jail in Tennessee

A bus with more than 50 people on board rolled over in New York and several deaths are being reported, officials confirm. CBS News' Jericka Duncan reports.

Tour bus crash in New York causes 'several fatalities'

Attorneys general in 14 states and Washington, D.C., accuse TikTok of designing its app to keep users hooked. Court-released edited video shows some company staff discussing the toll it can take on children and teens.

TikTok faces lawsuits over mental health risks

A parole board rejected Erik Menendez's request for release, saying he has not shown proper remorse for killing his parents 36 years ago. His brother, Lyle Menendez, faces his own hearing today (August 22).

Erik Menendez denied parole after California hearing

Russia carried out one of its largest aerial attacks of the year on Ukraine. The strikes killed at least one person and injured 15, marking Russia’s third-largest drone attack and eighth-largest missile assault this year.

Russia launches largest strike in weeks on Ukraine

The U.S. is sending three warships to the waters of Venezuela as part of a major counter-narcotics operation, a White House official confirms. CBS News senior national security correspondent Charlie D'Agata reports.

Breakdown