Spike Lee and Michael Jordan do their deal with Nike

The spread of hip-hop culture has gone hand in hand with the global rise of sportswear and trainers are the touchstone between the two. Run-DMC made trainers cool – even cooler if unlaced – but it was the prodigious Chicago Bulls shooting guard Michael Jordan who turned that coolness into a business phenomenon. Jordan signed with Nike in 1985 and the Air Jordan followed shortly after, its black and red colouring a new twist that caused it to be banned by the NBA. The ensuing controversy helped make millions of dollars for Nike. In 1988, Jordan was paired with Spike Lee in a series of iconic commercials for the Air Jordan 3. Lee plays his Mars Blackmon character, a motormouth B-boy who appeared in She's Gotta Have It. All Jordan wants to do is play basketball, while Lee is obsessed with the trainers. "Do you know who the best player in the game is?" asks Lee, arms resting on the rim. "Me. Mars Blackmon. Do you know how I get up for my game? That's right. Air Jordan," he says as the camera pans down to show him standing on Jordan's shoulders. After this ad, street and sports cool were fused fast.