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Writer's pictureShivam Sinha

How the greatest sporting deal of the century almost did not happen.

In 1984, Michael Jordan was a rising basketball star, just coming off a stellar college career.

 

At the time, Nike was still a relatively small player in the basketball market, which was dominated by Converse and Adidas, which was popular among athletes.

 

Nike, eager to break into the basketball market, saw an opportunity with Jordan.

 

The company was prepared to offer something that was highly unconventional at the time: instead of just a typical endorsement deal, Nike wanted to create an entire line of shoes and apparel around Jordan.

 

Nike offered Jordan a five-year deal worth $2.5 million, an unprecedented amount at the time

 

Despite the offers, Jordan was still leaning towards Adidas and was reluctant to even meet with Nike

 

Despite his reservations, Jordan's mother, Deloris Jordan, convinced him to take the meeting. That decision led to the creation of the now-iconic Air Jordan brand​.

 

However, his mother, Deloris Jordan, played a crucial role in persuading him to listen to Nike's pitch. She encouraged him to at least hear them out and consider the offer. As fate would have it, he accepted the offer after hearing the pitch.

 

Interestingly, upon launch, the NBA famously banned the shoes because they violated the league’s uniform rules, which required shoes to be predominantly white.

 

Nike and Jordan turned this ban into a marketing goldmine, with the company running ads saying, "The NBA threw them out of the game. Fortunately, the NBA can’t stop you from wearing them."

 

Nike's initial four-year goal was of selling $3 million of Air Jordans. In its first year, they went on to sell $126 million worth of Air Jordans!! The gamble had paid off.

 

As of 2023, Michael Jordan has earned an estimated $1.3 billion from his partnership with Nike and Air Jordan has become the most recognizable sneaker brand in the world, generating revenue of over USD 100 billion!!

 

This deal didn't just make Michael Jordan a global icon; it set the standard for athlete endorsements and reshaped the sneaker industry​​.

 

Come to think of it, we wouldn't be owning a Jordans pair if it weren’t for the influence of Michael Jordan’s mother and Nike's genius marketing strategy.



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