Michael Jordan is The Athlete of the Coronavirus Sports Pause — New ESPN Show, New $2,000 Air Jordan Dior Shoes Dominate the Stage

Michael Jordan is having a real moment. The legendary basketball star who retired for the third time back in 2003 just might be the athlete of the 2020 coronavirus sports idle (though Tiger Woods made a pitch for it in reliving his Masters comeback Easter weekend).

The highly-anticipated The Last Dance documentary chronicling Jordan’s final season with the Chicago Bulls premieres this Sunday night on ESPN — and figures to dominate plenty of sports conversation for the next five game-less Sundays as its 10 hours slowly unfurl. Images of Jordan as the rather hapless owner of the Charlotte Hornets or the caricature at the heart of that Crying Jordan meme are already giving way to footage of Jordan’s unrivaled athleticism and punishing will to dominate all.

It’s a good time to be the Retro Jordan business — and Dior Men had the good sense to jump in with major style before anyone realized just how much coronavirus would change the world. The new Dior Air Jordans — and related Jordan Brand apparel and accessories collaborations — were in the works long before the invisible virus shook the globe.

While Nike has wisely pushed back the release date of the Air Jordan 1 Dior collection (it was originally scheduled to drop this month), the continuing mystery and hype over the union only seem to be building. If you wondered if sneakerheads could still get excited about the release of an expected $2,000 pair of shoes during a global pandemic, the answer is a resounding yes.

At a time when many people are searching for some signs of normalcy, these cool sneakers are still drawing plenty of interest and online mania.

Yes, these will be the most expensive (retail price) Air Jordans ever (for a brand that’s never been shy about pushing the price envelope). But have you seen them?

Hand made in Italy (far from the usual Air Jordan factories) and decked out in Dior’s iconic gray, a jacquard Swoosh that puts a whole new spin on Nike’s iconic logo and outsoles that have Dior imprinted underneath the sneakers’ cushioning, these are anything but just the shoes. (These new Air Jordan 1 Diors come in high and low tops.)

The accompanying apparel line includes a Carolina blue colored cashmere sweater that is striking in its own right. Dior men’s artistic director Kim Jones has done it again, orchestrating another collaboration that will make more than sneaker fanatics swoon.

After all these years — 32 years since Spike Lee and Michael Jordan made magic in their first Air Jordan commercial to be precise — his Airness still commands centerstage. And it’s still Gotta be the Shoes.