Michael Jordan’s deal with Nike can only be described with superlatives. It was ‘big’ and ‘historic.’ Big enough to even make Magic Johnson jealous and historic because it established Nike as a global brand beyond track and field.
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Over the years, the brand ‘Air Jordan’ became synonymous with basketball. At the same time, MJ’s successes can be attributed to Nike’s global positioning and marketing. However, Nike’s relentless strategy and marketing efforts, right from signing MJ, can never be ignored.
One of the most crucial figures in the materializing of this deal was Jordan’s mother, Deloris Jordan. MJ initially had no faith in Nike while admitting that he hadn’t even heard of the company. He wanted to be signed by either Adidas or Converse, who at that time dominated the league and had the top shots under their legion. Deloris’ constant persistence was one of the main reasons why the Air Jordan brand is successful today.
Michael Jordan had planned to skip his visit to Oregon to meet the Nike officials until Deloris Jordan intervened
Imagine dissociating the name Jordan from Nike and basketball shoes is funny now. Nike, Jordan, and Air Jordan ring a major bell in every sports enthusiast. The brand has also expanded beyond basketball to be the kit sponsor for the French soccer club Paris Saint-Germain.
However, this deal would never have materialized if MJ’s mother had never checked on her son’s immaturity. Back then, Jordan was a 21-year-old rookie, quite hot-blooded and full of spirit. He planned to skip his flight to Oregon to meet the Nike officials. He seemed annoyed with his recent travels and had serious trust issues with Nike.
However, Deloris’ was committed to this deal. She had understood Sonny Vaccaro and Rob Strasser’s vision for Michael, which young Michael could not realize then. He did take his mother’s advice and arrived at the Raleigh-Durham airport the next day.
In Michael Jordan: The Life, Roland Lazenby writes about how Vaccaro praised Deloris for instrumentalizing this crucial deal. Vaccaro had said,
“I can tell you she [Deloris Jordan] is one of the most impressive people I’ve met in my life becaue she was able to negotiate his life for her son.”
Deloris Jordan’s role and this historic negotiation between Jordan and Nike have been beautifully put together in the movie ‘Air.’ Viola Davis nails it in her role as Deloris Jordan, with the movie intrinsically exploring every human emotion that went behind that deal.
Magic Johnson was jealous of the success MJ was enjoying from Air Jordan
The success of the brand Air Jordan also brought in a bit of jealousy, which, as MJ points out, came from the league’s great Magic Johnson. Johnson is a 12-time All-Star, 3-time League MVP, and 5-time NBA Champion. He already had a multi-million dollar contract with the shoe giant Converse. However, with the height of hype for Air Jordan, Johnson started feeling disappointed with the marketing strategies of Converse.
Speaking of this jealousy, MJ says,
“Well, I understood it to be jealousy. And you know, I think a lot of it came from—Magic Johnson should have been Michael Jordan before Michael Jordan. He had the smile, he had everything, he had the marketability. He had championships.”
Now in 2023, both Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson are retired league veterans. While Converse’s hype fluctuates and reaches even the lowest, the Air Jordan brand continues to dominate sports and fashion worldwide.
