In 1984, Michael Jordan signed one of the most lucrative deals in the history of basketball with Nike. An association that would not have been possible without the efforts and persistence of Sonny Vaccaro. However, during their initial meeting, Michael was apprehensive about the Nike executive and felt there was ‘something shady’ about him.
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Vaccaro had all the resemblances that would fool someone into believing that he was a mobster. As mentioned in the book ‘Michael Jordan: The Life‘ by Roland Lazenby, Jordan wanted nothing to do with him after the first meeting. That is before MJ’s parents convinced him otherwise. Despite all the hesitance, it was a match made in heaven.
Michael Jordan wanted to sign with Adidas before Sonny convinced him to sign with Nike in a deal that gave Jordan his own signature shoe line. Today, Air Jordan has become the gold standard in basketball sneakers, and the collaboration has earned both parties billions of dollars over 39 years. This empire can partly be credited to Sonny who foreshadowed Michael’s greatness.
Why didn’t Michael Jordan want to associate with Sonny?
Sonny Vaccaro grew up in Pennsylvania and was immediately attracted to a career in sports. His initiatives in college basketball were recognized by ‘Nike’, and they offered him a position to run the basketball division. However, Sonny did not give a good first impression. As mentioned in the book, here is what the officials from Nike felt:
“The first time officials from Nike met with Sonny Vaccaro, they wondered if he might be a mob figure. He certainly looked the part, with his name, his accent, and his mannerisms, and there was an air about him that suggested he knew secrets, things regular people didn’t know.”
The above sentiments were portrayed by Matt Damon, who played his character in the movie ‘Air’. Sonny was not the easiest person to work with. He had a way of getting what he wanted. Maybe this is exactly what Nike needed to rebuild their dying basketball division. In fact, Michael also admitted to having a similar opinion when he first met him. Here is an excerpt from the book:
“The same impression struck Michael Jordan when he initially sat down with the pudgy Italian with the droopy eyes. “I’m not sure I want to get mixed up with this shady kind of element,” Jordan later admitted thinking.”
How did Michael Jordan end up signing with Nike?
There were multiple people involved in making the deal happen – Rob Strasser, George Raveling, Peter Moore, and Sonny Vaccaro. They all played their role, but only Sonny was willing to bet his job for it. He was the one who reached out to Michael’s parents as he knew it was the only way to get his attention.
Despite his personality, Sonny was able to convey his sincerity and belief in the talent Jordan possessed. Of course, a groundbreaking deal that included a sportsperson getting his signature shoe line tipped the scales in Nike’s favor. But credit should be given where credit is due, and Sonny Vaccaro was the MVP. The two have been close since and remain friends to this day.
