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“Michael Jordan, Please Let Me Be the 1st to Wear Air Jordan 5s!”: Will Smith Recalled How He Begged ‘His Airness’ to Debut $124.99 Worth Kicks

Arun Sharma
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"Michael Jordan, Please Let Me Be the 1st to Wear Air Jordan 5s!": Will Smith Recalled How He Begged 'His Airness' to Debut $124.99 Worth Kicks

Will Smith is a fashion icon. He had people in the 90s wearing their jackets inside out. The flat-topped, no-cursing artist was the talk of the town, capturing audiences otherwise exclusive to the 18+ category. Much of it came from his rise to fame as a young “Will Smith,” the Fresh Prince of Philly.

Willy from Philadelphia, A homeboy who got into trouble fighting a bully on the basketball court, was sent to Bel-Air to live with his cousins. Will was an outcast among the elite and prep school students, but he never forgot his roots. He stuck to his guns, although he wavered a bit when it came to his taste in food, cars, and women.

Smith always kept in touch with his simple upbringing, though. His best friend, Jazz, was a high school dropout and vagabond with a big heart. The duo played a lot of basketball together and made sure they stayed fresh, even though they were just two broke kids.

While on-screen, Will Smith was just a kid who needed money. The actor was a superstar with the pull of Nike’s biggest star. Michael Jordan, the name on everyone’s lips, also attracted The Fresh Prince’s attention.

When Big Will and Uncle Phil were capturing hearts on screen, one pair of shoes captured his. The Air Jordan lineup, a sneaker line that caught the eyes of many, was the apple of Smith’s eye. He wanted to be the first to debut the Air Jordan 5, even before Jordan appeared on the big screen.

Also Read: “You Free Loading Here, Rachel Nichols?”: Michael Jordan Once Asked Young ESPN Reporter a Question That Helped Kick-start Her Career

Will Smith got his wish – The Air Jordan V without laces is an iconic image

Jordan 5s with a shabby tux—an iconic moment in history. They released in February 1990, with a retail price of $124.99. However, Will Smith got there first. The first episode of The Fresh Prince had him debut the pair with their look, and a recent retro has the same Jordan Brand has Will Smith to thank for most of their sales.

All the Smoke has had some well-known guests, but Will takes the cake. He’s been humble throughout his career, and he deserves the fame. Not the infamy from his Oscar debacle; that’s just sad. The Prince had us all wrapped around his little finger – the multi-colored school jacket included.

In his latest appearance on the Red Carpet, Will appeared a bit subdued, the complete opposite of his Prince of Freshness alias.

Also Read: “Michael Jordan, I’m Gonna Regret This”: When Bulls Owner Jerry Reinsdorf ‘Disrespected’ MJ for Just $30 Million

The Jordan Brand has made leaps and bounds in terms of revenue – Too Bad Adidas had the better collaboration with the Actor

Jordan Brand has released a couple of shoes honoring the Hancock actor. They have released the “Grape” colorway without the laces and the “Fresh Prince” colorway. Both have been lukewarm hits, neither making the brand much money.

But then Adidas came along and did something out of the box. We mean literally outside the box. They took Donovan Mitchell’s shoes and gave them a complete makeover. The box sported the same pattern as the jacket, and the shoes sported the colors of Bel-Air Prep School.

Will was over the moon with the finished product and was proud of the representation. Why wouldn’t he be, they just slap!

Also Read: “I’ll Never Say I’m Better Than Michael Jordan!”: Kobe Bryant, Who Didn’t Bow Down to ‘Black Jesus’, Explained His GOAT Pick

About the author

Arun Sharma

Arun Sharma

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Arun Sharma is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. A double degree holder and a digital marketer by trade, Arun has always been a sports buff. He fell in love with the sport of basketball at a young age and has been a Lakers fan since 2006. What started as a Kobe Bryant obsession slowly turned into a lifelong connection with the purple and gold. Arun has been an ardent subscriber to the Mamba mentality and has shed tears for a celebrity death only once in his life. He believes January 26, 2020, was the turning point in the passage of time because Kobe was the glue holding things together. From just a Lakers bandwagoner to a basketball fanatic, Arun has spent 16 long years growing up along with the league. He thinks Stephen Curry has ruined basketball forever, and the mid-range game is a sight to behold. Sharma also has many opinions about football (not the American kind), F1, MotoGP, tennis, and cricket.

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