Behind the Reebok Pump was not only a unique and revolutionary design, but also an aggressive marketing campaign. Reebok went head on with print and television ads with industry leader Nike with memorable lines that included “Pump Up, Air Out.”

The highlight of the shoe’s moment in history happened All Star weekend in Miami when Dominique Wilkins wore the Reebok Pump as he threw down for his second Slam Dunk crown.

Each of the 20 stores in the Pump 20 campaign will sell their own versions of the Reebok Pump to the tune of 31 pairs per door this weekend, but each door will also have 29 pairs available of the original White/Blue colorways as well as this one, in Black/White/Orange.

It all started at one.

Next year Jordan Brand will celebrate an unprecedented 25th anniversary of the Air Jordan series of shoes.  Earlier today we all caught a glimpse of the upcoming Air Jordan 2010, but for this Throwback Thursday, I thought it was an appropriate time to rewind things back to where it all began - the Nike Air Jordan 1.

Coming out of school Michael Jordan had tons of buzz surrounding him from his play at NC, to his Olympic Gold in the summer of ‘84, but the minute Jordan’s shoes were banned by the NBA, buzz for much more than just Mike was generated.  Though the shoes that technically were banned by the NBA were the Black/Red Nike Air Ships that MJ wore for the first part of his rookie year, the Nike Air Jordan 1’s were at the focal point of an extremely creative campaign by Nike.

As you know, the Air Jordan line has changed tremendously since the beginning, but sometimes there is nothing better than the original.

Click here to check out the top recent releases that are the best in black.

Improving on the fit of the Flight Lite, the shoes returned with the same lightweight and comfortable cushioning, but a stripped down and better fitting Huarache style inner sock.  This colorway was worn by Lakers great A.C. Green in the 1991-92 season, but has not been seen since.  Check out more pics after the break.

Jordan Brand gave us a little taste of blue VIs in 2000 when the shoe released in White/Midnight Navy, but I am pretty sure that after almost 19 years this one is ready for return?

If JB brought back the Sport Blue Jordan VI would they be a purchase or pass?  Leave your thoughts after the break.

This particular model debuted in the retailers this month; however, we first spotted it during the 2009-2010 NBA season, namely on Chicago Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich’s feet. Obviously, the aforementioned Weapon was one of the better basketball sneakers of the 80s; yet, can the Weapon EVO be one of Converse’s standout sneakers for the latter part of the 2000’s? With that said, we put the Weapon EVO through multiple performance tests to see how it would respond. Click here to view its grade plus the various colorways it has recently released in.

Tomorrow, the greatest that ever took the court will be honored with his official enshrinement at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.  We could spend hours and compose pages of all of the great things that Michael Jordan did for the game of basketball among many other things.

Besides forever changing the sport of basketball, Michael Jordan’s impact on the footwear forever changed the scope of the business.  This week we honor the greatest that ever played with (our office opinion) of the greatest shoes Michael wore on court - the Nike Air Jordan XI.

Michael returned to the game in mid-March from retirement to help his Bulls into the Playoffs.  On May 7, 1995, Michael Jordan laced up in something new and something fresh for Game 1 of the Conference Semi’s against the Orlando Magic.  Though the Bulls dropped Game 1 and MJ was only able to put up 19 points, many fans were talking about what Mike had on his feet.

The shoes shiny black patent leather on a white upper caught more than the attention of virtually every camera man in the building, but also the NBA.  Just like the old days, Mike was hit with a $5k fine for having footwear that was out of line.

MJ and the Bulls did fall short in the 1995 Playoffs, but roared through the 1995-96 season setting an unbelievable regular season record of 72-10 while MJ averaged 30.4 points per game.  The Playoffs proved to be not much of a challenge for the Bulls either as they cruised through losing only 3 games in total of all rounds.

What makes the Air Jordan XI special for you?  Is it the shoes beauty?  Is it what Jordan accomplished in the shoes?