If you thought Michael Jordan just sits back and collects enormous royalties from Nike and his own Jordan brand you would be mistaken. While in China for the NBA Global Games, where his Hornets will play for the crowd, MJ talked among other things, the business surrounding his brand. He makes it clear, nothing goes down without his say so.
@IamJoeSports
Not too long ago we saw how serious MJ is about his namesake and trademarks. He took a grocery store chain to court just for them using his likeness for some coupons. They wound up having to pay out millions to Jordan Brand so you know this is not a game to him.
When it comes to his kicks, people think he really isn’t part of it and just allows his name to be used to rake in the dough. That couldn’t be further from the truth according to him.
“Anything that has my name on it, I’ll always have the proof of rights, design in terms of how it’s going to be utilized, how it’s going to be received. That’s something I totally value when we talk about the whole Jordan persona. I want to be able to have input on everything utilized my name and my likeness. This is not something I’m just doing now, it’s something I’ve been doing for sometimes and I enjoyed doing it and I’ll continue doing it as long as I’m able to.”
Moral of the story? Jordan is still the boss and don’t forget it. It’s his hard work throughout his career that helped make Nike and his own brand what they are today.
