Michael Jordan didn’t just take over basketball. He reshaped what it meant to be an athlete in the modern era of sports.
What he achieved with the Chicago Bulls is the stuff of legend. Across two separate stints, he led the franchise to six NBA titles, collected five league MVPs, and became a global icon. But even though the highlight reels and historic nights made him a household name, the business legacy he built is just as influential.
It all started in 1984. Jordan had just turned pro, was taken third overall in the NBA Draft, and signed a $6 million deal with the Bulls. At only 21 years old, he was already carrying the hopes of a struggling franchise, but it was what happened away from the court that truly changed the game.
Michael Jordan's Collaboration With Nike
MJ & Nike is one of the biggest sporting partnerships in history
At that point, Nike wasn’t the sportswear powerhouse it is today. At the time, Nike were still trailing Adidas and Converse in the basketball market, and Jordan came within a whisker of signing with Adidas. But his mother, Deloris Jordan, insisted he at least hold a meeting with Nike.
That decision proved crucial. Nike didn’t just offer a standard endorsement deal. They proposed something that had never been done before for a rookie, a signature shoe line. The Air Jordan 1 was created before he had played a single game in the NBA.
The rule MJ broke because of Nike
When he stepped onto the court during a pre-season match against the New York Knicks, the bold black and red trainers immediately caught people’s attention. They clashed with the NBA’s strict uniform policy, however, which required players to wear mostly white footwear that matched their team’s colours, known as the “51% rule”.
A letter soon followed from the league, where they warned Nike that the shoes didn’t meet its uniform regulations, with the AJ1’s being 23% white. The policy included a potential $5,000 fine per game for non-compliance, but this had never really been tested before. There’s no clear evidence that Nike or Jordan were ever fined during regular season games, but the controversy quickly gained momentum.
Michael Jordan
Nike saw an opportunity and ran with it. They launched a now-famous ad campaign claiming the NBA had banned the shoes, censoring them in commercials and taking up a rebellious stance. It was pure marketing genius. The message was simple: the league didn’t want fans to wear these, which made them want them even more.
Soon after, Nike re-released the original Air Jordan 1 as the ‘Banned’ edition. Real or not, the fines were now completely irrelevant, and it’s likely what led to the NBA backing off from enforcing the rule.
Then came the 1985 Slam Dunk Contest. Jordan soared through the air wearing the AJ1s, and the resulting photos became iconic. The shoes weren’t just stylish; they captured the energy and freedom that Jordan brought to the game. They were a statement wrapped in leather and laces.
The Air Jordan II followed in 1986 and was the first to feature the iconic Jumpman logo that is still seen today. From that point on, Jordan Brand wasn’t just about performance on the court, it became a cultural force.
Decades later, the numbers speak for themselves. In 2024 alone, Jordan Brand brought in over $7 billion in revenue. Jordan himself is believed to take a five percent royalty on that figure, keeping him among the highest-earning athletes in history even in retirement. MJ also has his mother to thank for that as well, who negotiated this when he signed with Nike.
It all started with a mother’s advice, a bold design, and a young player willing to push the boundaries. Michael Jordan changed basketball forever, but just as importantly, he transformed the way athletes could build lasting empires far beyond the court.
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