5 things we learned from Episodes 5 and 6 of ‘The Last Dance’
5. Jordan really wasn’t about Nike at first
Michael Jordan, Nike and the Air Jordan brand are synonymous now, but back in 1984, when the Chicago rookie’s NBA career was just about to begin, their pairing wasn’t a sure thing. In fact, Jordan was more of an Adidas guy, and didn’t even want to take the pitch meeting with Nike, which was more of a track shoe company at the time.
The idea that adidas could have easily had Michael Jordan if they had their act together...
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) May 4, 2020
The amount of things that would have changed...
His agent, David Falk, tried to push Jordan towards Nike, but it was MJ’s mother, Deloris, who persuaded her son to get on that plane and hear Nike out. After hearing their pitch, Jordan’s father, James, was convinced their offer was the way to go. Most players in Jordan’s position would’ve gotten $100,000 back then without playing a single NBA game yet, but Nike offered him $250,000.
The “Air Jordan” brand came from mixing Jordan with Nike’s new “air soles” technology, and an unstoppable fashion icon that later became its own brand was born. According to The Last Dance, Nike had hoped to sell $3 million worth of Air Jordans through year 4; they wound up selling $126 million within the first year.
And to think, the Air Jordan brand that successfully merged urban culture with sports may never have happened if not for Deloris.