Nigel Sylvester Elevates Bike Culture With Jordan Brand Collab

The Nigel Sylvester x Air Jordan 4 RM "Grandma's Driveway" drops on July 20.

Nigel Sylvester's Air Jordans. / Harrison Boyce

Nigel Sylvester is regarded as one of the best BMX athletes in the world. He’s gained a well-earned reputation in the sport for his dexterous bicycling skills and his cutting-edge digital content featuring his unique bicycling adventures that take place around the globe.

His film series "GO" gives viewers a first-hand look at his riding skills at some of the most recognizable places in the world. Additionally,  Nigel is an entrepreneur, filmmaker, philanthropist,  creative, and an influencer whose sneakers are highly sought after.

As a mainstay of the Jordan Brand and Nike family for more than a decade, Sylvester is set to release his highly anticipated Nigel Sylvester x Air Jordan 4 RM "Grandma's Driveway" his latest collaboration with Jordan Brand that drops on July 20.

Sports Illustrated caught up with Nigel where he spoke about first discovering his love for bicycling.

“I started loving bike riding when I was four years old. I remember the joy that it brought me and my older cousin and how excited we were. I remember being fascinated with the pedals, going fast, and the emotion of it,” Nigel said. “As a child, like, I think the main goal is to have fun in life, and cycling provided me with that as a kid.”

“When I was 12 years old, I decided to pursue a professional career in bicycle riding. In my neighborhood in Queens, there were probably 10 to 15 kids that rode BMX and I was always the youngest kid,” he continued. “So I worked on my skills so I would be worthy to hang out with these kids. When I started excelling and saw the reception I got from my peers, it made me know that I could do this.”

“BMX is much different than traditional sports. If you go to high school and then you could commit to a college, and get drafted into the pros,” he added. “BMX is way different. We don't have those things. So it's really about just getting as good as you possibly can and then just being prepared for when your moment happens. “

Nigel has come a long way from his humble beginnings in Queens into a global superstar. To show his love for the city of his birth, he held his second annual GO RIDE, an intercontinental biking event to celebrate World Bicycle Day on July 13. He spoke about the impact and growth of his GO Series brand.

“It feels incredible. The GO Series started in 2015 and to see how massive it is nine years later, as an idea that flourished into something wonderful makes me very proud. It’s also motivating because if  I got it this far, I know I can take it so much further. I'm happy that I'm able to use my platform to cultivate a community around bicycle riding,” Nigel said.

“As we continue to fight for progression and now that it's happening in real-time and people can see it. I dedicated my life, my time, and my energy to bike riding. To see what it's grown into is very surreal. It’s one of the most incredible feelings in the world.”

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As a long-time Nike athlete, Nigel has made his presence felt in bike culture and sneaker culture. He spoke about his first collaboration with the Jordan Brand on the hugely popular Nigel Sylvester x Air Jordan 1 Retro High OG.

“I've been signed to Nike since I was 18 which is half my life. When we did the first Jordan collab, I was still signed to Nike SB. I was contacted by Frank Cooke, who was one of the designers at Jordan Brand,” Nigel recalled. “He told me there was an opportunity to do an AJ1. We met in New York, Portland, and we sat down in the room and we cooked it up. 

When Frank FaceTimed the sample,  I was going crazy  like, “Yo, this is wild.” After I got them in my hand, I knew they would be a game changer. It was the first time the Jordan Brand released a distressed shoe,” he continued.

“It also told a story that was so personal to me. It was based on how my shoes are when I'm out biking so it was a crazy moment for me. When they dropped, they sold out within minutes around the world. It was truly a defining moment in the sneaker culture . Look how many distressed sneakers came out after that moment.”

After several more collaborations, Sylvester eventually signed with Jordan Brand as its first BMX athlete.

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“I ended up signing with Jordan Brand in  2021 and I got transferred over from SB. That was a huge moment to be the first BMX athlete ever to get signed to Jordan Brand. To get the official stamp from Michael Jordan is a testament to my career and my dedication.

For his latest project with the Jordan Brand, Nigel made his directorial debut with his campaign titled "Grandma's Driveway” to go alongside the highly anticipated release of  Nigel Sylvester x Air Jordan 4 RM "Grandma's Driveway.”

Filmed on location at his actual grandmother's driveway in Queens, New York, the campaign features acclaimed "Family Matters" actress Jo Marie Payton portraying Nigel's grandmother as he pays homage to his hometown and his close relationship with his grandmother who encouraged his journey to become a professional rider. He shared what it meant to shoot the visual in Queens and how excited he is about the new shoe.

“The whole ‘Grandma's Driveway” project has been amazing. It’s overwhelming to experience from the inception to where it is now after working on it for over a year. We can’t wait to put it out in the world. "

"To have the opportunity to usher in a new Jordan 4 silhouette and that the brand has trusted me is a huge feat. The design team did a great job on constructing this shoe and sharing the personal story of how I fell in love with bike riding through this new silhouette and to dive in the way we did from the shoe to the shoe box, to the commercial we released has been amazing." he continued. It’s a major moment for myself, for Jordan Brand, for bike culture, and for sneaker culture. To flip the classic Nike Air logo to Bike Air is crazy."

With all his success, Nigel plans to remain on the cutting edge of bike culture and sneaker culture. With his partnership with Jordan Brand, he believes that the best is yet to come.

"The fact that Jordan Brand identified bike culture as a sport, as a community that they want to invest deeper into and you can see their investment right from signing me, to the Air Jordan 4RM  and also to the Olympic commercial that I'm featured in our commercial where they have a bunch of bicycling," Nigel said.

"I'm so passionate about it because so many people around the world have a natural connection to bicycling. For the Jordan Brand to be recognized this is pretty special."

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