Philadelphia To Get First U.S. Jordan Brand World Of Flight Store

It's been almost 40 years since Nike created the Air Jordan shoe. Michael Jordan has been retired from the NBA since 2003. Still, his brand seems more popular than ever and Philadelphia will soon open the first Jordan Brand World of Flight store in America.

CBS News reported, "Documents submitted to the Philadelphia Historical Commission show the retailer plans to open its first Michael Jordan-branded sneaker and apparel store at 1617 Walnut St. in the city's Rittenhouse Square neighborhood."

Although this outlet will be the first of its kind in the country, there are three other World of Flight stores across the world. The first opened in Milan, Italy in 2022. Then, in March of 2023, the next location opened in Tokyo. Most recently, Seoul, South Korea, opened its World of Flight this past June.

Now for Philadelphia specifically, Complex explains that this spot was "inspired by the intersection of Philadelphia Historical Architecture and Jordan Brand."

The Jordan Brand, is of course, under the Nike umbrella. Nonetheless, as you can expect the storefront is expected to feature the signature "Jumpman" logo.

When the Tokyo location opened, Nike described what's inside by saying it would be a "best-in-class Jordan Brand product, a customization station, SNKRS pick-up services for Nike Members, and — for the first time in a Jordan store — a content-creation studio for shoppers."

Currently, some of the most popular Jordan shoes include the AJ1 and the Jordan 4. Furthermore, what's equally fascinating is that these kicks are widely sought after by kids. Most of them were not even born yet when Jordan was playing.

Pro athletes that are currently endorsed by Nike's Jordan Brand include Jason Tatum, Jalen Hurts, and Luka Dončić.

In college sports, certain Division One programs have also become Jordan schools. These include Jordan's alma mater in North Carolina and the current NCAA football champion, University of Michigan.

At opening date for the Philadelphia World of Flight location has not been announced yet.

This weekend the NBA will take over Indianapolis for All-Star weekend. On Saturday night, the Slam Dunk contest will serve as the grand finale of the day two events at Lucas Oil Stadium. That got us thinking about NBA stars we'd love to see in Slam Dunk contest.

Before we crack into the list, let's take a look at the modern landscape of the NBA dunk contest. The biggest complaint about the event is that the biggest names in basketball rarely participate. Why is that? Well, last year at this time, Front Office Sports dove into this exact subject. "The last time a player from that season’s All-Star Game actually participated in the Dunk Contest was in 2017, when the Los Angeles Clippers’ DeAndre Jordan competed," they said.

Front Office Sports went on to list a lack of creative options, scoring, and top players not participating in the dunk contest as reasons why the competition had declined. "I think they’re maybe afraid to lose,” NBA Hall of Famer, and slam dunk legend, Dominique Wilkins said via Front Office Sports. Of course, potential injury could also be considered.

Though there has been a lack of star power in the Slam Dunk contest, there have been a few shining moments as of late. Last season, there was much confusion as to why the NBA was allowing a G League (minor league) player to participate in Mac McClung. Now with the Orlando Magic franchise, McClung was called up by his then-team, the 76ers, a few days before the contest. He would go on to win and thrilling fashion. Furthermore, McClung is just six-foot-two.

The NBA Slam Dunk contest will often be associated with the likes of Wilkins and Michael Jordan. In the late '80s, these legends made our jaws drop dunking the ball during all-star weekend. Sure, we have had Vince Carter and the late great Kobe Bryant go in it and win it. However, you can't help but think about what might have been, if these stars had won. Some of them came close, while others opted out.

Nonetheless, we do have some surprising and well-received news when it comes to the 2024 contest. Jaylen Brown, one of the biggest stars in the game, is participating. He will compete against last year's winner in McClung. In addition, Jacob Toppin from the Knicks and Jamie Jaquez. Jr of the Heat are in. Perhaps with Brown participating, we will begin to see the trend of more all-stars opting into this fan-favorite event in the future.

Here are five players we'd love to see do their thing in the NBA Slam Dunk contest.

Now in his fourth season, you can't help but feel like we've been Zion-deprived. Injuries doomed Williamson's first three years. In fact, he's only played in 114 games. However, as we've seen so far this year, Williamson is explosive. An electrifying dunk contest performance can allow us to quickly forget about the start of his NBA career.

Speaking of high-flying ballers, Morant has a burst to his game that not many others (if any) have. Similar to Zion Williamson, the past year or two has been marred by outside distractions that have taken away from Morant's game. Here's to hoping his hoop game is back in focus. He can show us that been taking the next dunk contest by storm.

Edwards has quickly established himself as one of the best young players in the game. He's taking the Minnesota Timberwolves to levels that they have not been to since Kevin Garnett was in the building. It would be a great statement to enter the dunk contest at this stage of his career. To some degree, it would be similar timing to when Jordan and Wilkinson participated and won.

Now, this might be a stretch only because Brunson is probably more suited for the three-point or skills contest. The Knicks guard is now an all-star and one of the most dynamic players in the game this season. In addition, he's loved by the fans and the roaring support from the crowd always makes the dunk contest that much more of an entertaining experience. Finally, the Knicks could really use the spotlight.

King James may arguably be past the prime of his career when this opportunity would make sense. For years, fans wanted him in, and although it came close, James never jumped in. He certainly doesn't need to do it. It just feels like the one thing he has not accomplished in the league. Kobe Bryant competed in the dunk contest in 1997. And he won.