Air Jordan’s Logo Design Was Just as Lucky as Signing Michael Jordan, Explains Sonny Vaccaro

Show someone a swoosh anywhere in the world, and they’ll know the logo belongs to Nike. The athletic apparel brand has evolved into one of the biggest companies in the world. However, they weren’t always on that trajectory. They were on the brink of bankruptcy until they lucked out with the signing of a young basketball superstar from Chicago. But that was only one piece of the puzzle. Former Nike marketing executive Sonny Vaccaro reveals another aspect of Michael Jordan’s Nike deal, which took the company to new levels.

Vaccaro is a legendary figure in sports who’s always had his sights set on big prizes. The most eye-catching was a 6-foot-6 guard out of the University of North Carolina.

Before Jordan entered the 1984 NBA Draft, many sneaker brands made offers to the then 20-year-old. Nike had a tall hill to climb, considering Jordan had made his mind up to sign with Converse. But Vaccaro pulled off a masterclass, pitching and convincing Jordan and his family that Nike was the right choice. Over 40 years later, it’s clear Vaccaro was on track.

It was huge for Nike to land the transcendent star. But the name alone wasn’t going to sell merchandise. They also needed the perfect logo.

“The luckiest thing wasn’t just signing Michael Jordan; it was the logo,” Vaccaro said in an interview with GrowthX. “The thing that makes that shoe so valuable today that people pay big money to have it in their house or show it to their friends is the logo.”

The man responsible for creating that Jordan Brand logo was Peter Moore. He took inspiration from Jordan’s electric free-throw line dunk in the 1987 Slam Dunk Contest. That logo went on to inspire other NBA athletes, including Hall-of-Fame big man Shaquille O’Neal.

The Jumpman logo birthed O’Neal’s Dunkman

O’Neal has always had a mind for business and has capitalized on his name since retiring from the NBA. However, while he was still attending LSU, the dominant big man had hopes of crafting a stellar signature shoe. The difficult part was designing a logo. So he took inspiration from Michael Jordan.

“When I saw the Michael Jordan dunk, his legs spread and how that became a logo — you know, my dunk is with my knees up,” Shaq said in an interview with Nick DePaula.

“I was in college when Michael really got huge, and we were in class learning about trademarks and all of that stuff, and right afterward, I went down to the Baton Rouge office, and I trademarked my dunk. It cost me like $60,” Shaq continued. “I just knew. I said, ‘Ok if Jordan is doing this and has his logo, this is my dunk with the knees up.'”

The four-time NBA champion made a great decision. That Dunkman logo now graces his SHAQ sneaker line, which is one of the most accessible shoes for low-income households, selling over 400 million pairs.