"Way to drop the ball, Adam Silver" - NBA fans bummed as "banned" Jordan brand jersey designs are revealed

NBA fans were miffed with the reveal of the "banned" Jordan brand jersey designs. With 'Air Jordan' celebrating its 40th anniversary, the brand had an activation planned with the original 'banned' Air Jordan as the theme. The move was done so with the NBA's active involvement. Per a Complex report, the league had teamed up with the brand on a range of 'banned' jerseys of teams that would see the Jumpman logo partially covered by a black censor bar.

But as luck would have it, the league jumped off the deal in the final minutes thereby banning the 'banned' kit. This saw NBA commissioner Adam Silver cop some flak on social media.

One of the fans minced no words:

"Shoulda been a ❌ like on the shoes. Way the drop the ball Adam Silver"

This was seconded by another fan:

"NBA marketing is in the gutter man. This woulda been dope."

Another fan mocked the league for approving the idea initially.

"Why did they aven agree when it makes them look dumb in the first place?!"

One fan had his take on the whole shebang.

"I’m not a fan of the sponsor logos on them. Jordan is cool but the BiBio or whatever it is. I don’t know who the are"

Nike was pulled up by another fan unhappy with the marketing approach

"Nike has to do better with these ideas for all sports jerseys man"

Complex released images of jerseys of the Dallas Mavericks, Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, and LA Lakers, all of which had the banned mark on the logo. The move will now add to just another storyline of the league's take on what could have been a fun marketing ploy.

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The 'Banned Jordan 1' story resurfaced after the latest activation failure

MJ's 'Air Jordan 1' will forever be regarded as one of the most iconic pairs of kicks created by Nike. The story of how the Chicago Bulls icon was slapped with a $5000 fine for the shoes resurfaced in the wake of the failed activation.

The story has it that the sneakers that made their debut in 1984 were banned by the NBA for skirting the uniform rules. The flashy red and black sneakers were a strict no-no with the league also writing a letter to Nike explaining the ban of the colorway. To add to its marketing genius, the brand reportedly offered to pay for the fines making for one of the more studied ad campaigns.

Now, the latest move will surely see more buzz in the days to come as the 'banned jerseys are a topic of discussion amid what has been an exciting NBA season.