“23 was close to the half of 45”: Michael Jordan and how the iconic no.23 came to be

Michael Jordan’s brand has taken the globe by storm, and his jersey number has become an indelible part of it.

The rise of Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in the 90s featured multiple championships and accolades culminated with a ‘last dance’ season ending in a second 3-peat. The Bulls won 6 championships during that period under coach Phil Jackson.

Nike and Jordan teamed up to launch one of the most iconic athlete-endorsed Brands: Air Jordan.

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During Jordan’s time as a professional basketball player, the brand would introduce a new sneaker with each season, and Jordan would wear it that year. Michael had his first signature sneakers produced exclusively in 1984.

Nike co-founder Phil Knight called the success of Air Jordan I “the perfect combination of quality product, marketing, and athlete endorsement.”

Jordan was not only a success on the court, but he also became a global phenomenon off it, with record-breaking Air Jordan shoe sales and his famous number 23 imprinted in NBA fans’ brains. But why did Jordan choose number 23?

Why did Michael Jordan wear number 23?

Jordan has worn the number 23 jersey since he was in high school when he was at Laney. His older brother Larry was already on the team and wore the number 45.  Jordan just halved the number to achieve 23  with the help of some rounding up.

He wore the number 23 for the University of North Carolina, where he made a name for himself and was eventually drafted into the NBA in 1984.

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Jordan’s number 23 was retired by the Bulls in 1994 in honor of his retirement, but he shocked the world by announcing his plans to return to the court. “I’m back,” Jordan said as he returned for the 1994/95 season’s closing stretch.

During that season, he wore the number 45, which was his brother Larry’s former number.

Athlete endorsement is a strategy many companies have employed over the years and none are close to achieving the monumental success of the Jordan Brand. Multiple collaborations have helped the brand reinvent itself and become substantially bigger.

The Jordan brand has reached the status of an industry leader. Which athlete will be next to usher in a new era of the brand? We will wait and see.