The Air Jordan is the most iconic shoe in the world. And the Jordan brand is the most successful marketing strategy in the history of sports. However, when Michael Jordan first entered the NBA, Nike wasn’t even his first choice.
In fact, Nike wasn’t even one of Jordan’s top two choices, according to an excerpt from Jack McCallum’s new book “Dream Team,” which chronicles the 1992 U.S. Men’s Olympic basketball team (via Deadspin.com).
The story goes like this: Jordan wanted to sign with either Converse, the shoe brand he wore in college, or Adidas, the company that many players at the time believed made the best shoes.
And according to McCallum, Jordan “probably” would have signed with Adidas or Converse if either company made him a decent offer.
Luckily for Jordan and several generations of basketball shoe-crazed kids, Jordan’s agent, David Falk steered Jordan towards Nike, whom Falk saw as “hungrier and more market-savvy.” And as they say, the rest is a multi-billion dollar history, that continues to this day.
WRITTEN BY Cork Gaines & FULL STORY HERE
