Publications

Adam Bradley was with his daughters at Legoland one day this summer when he noticed a familiar image seemingly everywhere he looked — on the shoes, clothing and even tattoos of people across age, race and gender lines.

The image? Nike’s Jumpman logo, the silhouetted representation of NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan leaping through the air, legs splayed wide, a basketball in one hand extended upward.

It would make sense that Bradley, a UCLA professor of English and African American studies, was attuned to all things Jordan during his Legoland excursion. He had, after all, just completed work on a coffee table book called “Air Jordan.” Published this month by Assouline, the volume explores Jordan’s life, legacy and cultural influence.

Jordan is still thought by many to be the greatest basketball player of all time and his on-court achievements are legendary. But his athletic exploits alone don’t explain his continued status as a cultural icon. Bradley said the fact that consumers still gravitate toward a decades-old logo, one inspired by an athlete who played his last professional game 23 years ago — an eternity in pop-culture years — demonstrates Jordan’s unique and enduring impact….click here to read more.