“I wanted them before they were out. I wanted people to see it on Fresh Prince before they were out,” said Will Smith on Sneaker Shopping. ​Back in the 90s, fans and footwear enthusiasts waited patiently to get their hands on the sneakers Michael Jordan wore on the court during the games. One of the luckiest of them all – Academy Award-winner Smith. The enviable scene from his retro sitcom – The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, where the actor wore the brand’s OG sneakers, is still iconic. Obviously, the brand and the actor built a deeper connection after the show became a hit. But it always raised an eyebrow as to how the actor landed these shoes earlier than the rest. 

In his latest conversation during the latest episode of Sneaker Shopping, the actor revealed how he used to get Jordan’s signature lineup and sneakers sooner than the rest. As Smith recalled, Nike had set up an office in L.A., “that was strictly and only to get the new things to the actors.” 

It was mostly him and Martin Lawrence. He also shared that his mother’s friend, who was a designer, worked for Nike. And he would call him to get the sneakers really early on. “My mother is friends with Jordan’s top designer at the time. So they were friends and they went to school together, something like that…So I was always getting the inside, so the designer would say MJ just call them, and say ‘Did you want this? I got something,’ so I had to, this, the real men in black inside!” Smith said. 

Was he the first to get the sneakers? He may not have been the first. He added that while he would call the designer in hopes of getting the shoes first and the designer pretended it to be like that, he wasn’t actually the first to receive those coveted pairs of shoes! “He was really diplomatic, and apparently, I wasn’t the only person calling. He would always pretend I was getting stuff first,” he shared.

Getting your hands on some of the best Air Jordans is a big deal, and Smith did go the extra mile to do so.

Will Smith called Michael Jordan to get OG Air Jordans early

During his appearance on the All The Smoke podcast two years ago, the actor made several revelations. One such was his call to Jordan. Not just the designer, but he also used to call the Chicago Bulls legend Jordan to send him the newest pair to wear on the show.

“I was living the culture. I was literally calling Jordan like, ‘Mike, please, please don’t give them to nobody. Let me be the first person, I gotta be the first person to wear it,’ and he was like ‘Man, I don’t run that,’” Smith said. Later, a connection was certainly built between the show and the brand.

The Fresh Prince is one of the most memorable shows from the ’90s to date. It ushered in a new culture, whether through the sneakers, the outfits, or its comedy. The Jordan Brand even paid homage to the actor and the impact that the show brought. A couple of Air Jordan 5 “Bel-Air” colorways as a nod to the main character’s colorful style were released. The Fresh Prince truly allowed the spotlight to shine on the sneakers.