"Sneakerheads" continue to line up for Nike's Air Jordans , the most successful basketball shoe in history. The first Air Jordan shoe – the iconic black and red with a Nike swoosh – was released to the public 40 years ago for $65.

The shoe revolutionized the sneaker industry, but it almost didn't happen.

Michael Jordan's game-changing sneaker

Howard White , a Nike veteran and founding father of the Jordan Brand now serving as its senior vice president, was in the room in 1984 with untested NBA rookie Michael Jordan to meet with Nike at its headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon. Jordan was practically dragged into the meeting by his parents, Deloris and James Jordan.

The stakes were high for Nike, then a relatively small sneaker company.

"This was bigger than anything that we'd

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