"Michael Jordan got beef with Ronnie or something?" - Fans fume as NBA2K bans iconic Air Jordan shoes from gameplay
Michael Jordan helped create one of the largest sports apparel brands in the world, the Jordan Brand. The brand's logo features an iconic pose of Jordan as he goes up for a dunk, and it is universally recognized by both basketball fans and non-fans. The brand has launched some of the most iconic sneakers in history and continues to be loved to date.
Many fans like to wear Jordan Brand shoes when they lace up their virtual shoes in the NBA 2K video game series. However, fans recently received a rude awakening when they found out that the shoes had been banned from being accessed in the game:
"Due to reasons beyond our control, Jordan brand is BANNED in NBA2K25"
Fans took to X to share their thoughts on the bombshell announcement from NBA 2K.
"MJ got beef with Ronnie or something??" a fan posted
"Wait wait wait. What about my custom shoes? That I've spent 100K VC on?," another fan wrote.
"Say sike right now," a fan commented
"Roger that I'll never wear a Jordan Brand item again," another fan said
"The falloff of NBA 2K needs to be studied," a fan shared
"I don't even play 2K anymore and this is more of a reason not to," another fan posted
The Jordan Brand ban has impacted a lot of gamers in the NBA 2K universe. Hopefully, 2K will reinstate the brand soon so people can wear Michael Jordan's shoes and merchandise once again on the court.
"You can't ban greatness" - Michael Jordan's brand Air Jordan launches commercial honoring 40th anniversary of the Air Jordan 1s
Michael Jordan not only changed the way basketball is played forever, but he also changed the way companies think about branding and marketing forever. Air Jordan brand is one of the most successful branding and marketing initiatives ever.
Air Jordan shoes were one of the hottest items on the market in the 1990s due to their connection to the greatest basketball player in the world. Jordan-made basketball shoes have style and Nike did a phenomenal job marketing them as a hot-ticket item with some rebellious ties.
Nike claimed the NBA "banned" the Air Jordan 1 all-red and black colorway, despite Michael Jordan never actually attempting to wear the colorway in a regular season game. 40 years later, Nike has chosen to honor that same "banned" marketing campaign that helped grow the brand into what it is today, with the tagline:
"You can't ban greatness"
The marketing strategy remains to be one of the most genius moves by Nike and the commercial shows just how big an impact the Jordan brand had not only on basketball but the world altogether.