AJ is the abbreviation of Air jordan, a high-end brand under Nike.

AJ was founded in 1985. It was originally a brand created to produce signature shoes for basketball player Michael Jordan. It is the same as the current series of signature sneakers launched by Nike for James, Kobe, Irving, Pickles, Antetokounmpo, etc. Nike gave Jordan a sneaker sponsorship contract, and Jordan could only wear basketball shoes made for him by Nike on the basketball court.

AJ not only reflects the technology and craftsmanship of the shoes, but also shows Jordan's playing style. The ad launched during Thanksgiving in 1984 left a deep impression on many people.

In 1985, Nike was still a small sports brand. They signed the second-year rookie Michael Jordan with a high-paying contract, and then launched a basketball shoe series named after Jordan for Jordan. Due to Nike's shrewd marketing skills and Jordan's various magical performances, the AJ series began to sell well and became popular all over the United States.

As Jordan achieved three consecutive championships twice and became unparalleled in popularity in the league, Jordan was regarded as a god and his sneakers became a commodity that fans rushed to buy. The current popular shoes in the AJ series, such as AJ1, AJ3, AJ4, AJ5, AJ6, AJ11, AJ12 and AJ13, almost all accompany Jordan's career trajectory. Each sneaker and each color combination has its own story.

The AJ brand only focuses on basketball equipment, while Nike is a comprehensive sports brand. AJ's spokespersons are basically NBA superstars, such as Westbrook, Paul, Anthony, Griffin and others, which are not much worse than James, Kobe, Durant and Irving owned by Nike.