Before he ever played a minute in the NBA, Darius Miles had already experienced a moment most hoopers could only dream of, earning Michael Jordan’s respect. Speaking on his time at the iconic Jordan camp, Miles recalled being one of the few fearless enough to go at MJ during pickup runs.
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While Jordan gave him buckets, Miles managed to block his shot a couple of times, which caught the NBA legend’s attention. That moment changed everything.
Miles was so blown away by seeing MJ up close, watching him cuss, act normal, just be himself, that he couldn’t help but call his mom and tell her all about it. While he was shocked to find out Jordan was, in fact, a human, their bond grew over the years. Even after being drafted, Miles kept coming back to the camp.
But there was one moment that took things to the next level. On All The Smoke, he recalled going back to the Jordan camp with Quentin Richardson after the draft. But they had made a mistake, they were draped in And1 gear, “We came out there with the And1 gear on the first day, and Mike looked, he was like, ‘What y’all got on? I thought y’all were Nike guys.”
Miles explained to him that they did reach out to Nike, but were rejected. MJ, who already knew that Miles was very talented, said that he’s going to make a few calls. The very next morning, Miles and Richardson received their Jordan/Nike contracts and four boxes full of Nike gear.
The impact of Jordan shoes on Darius Miles and Quentin Richardson
From the moment they dropped, Jordans were destined to be bigger than just basketball shoes. As years went by and MJ started to dominate the league, Jordan’s stock went up as everyone tried to step into the shoes of the Bulls legend. Miles and Richardson were among those people who grew up admiring MJ.
On The Pat Bev Podcast, Miles said, “MJ is everything to us. We grew up in that era when them Jordans came out and you walk in school with them Jordans on, and you just feel different, feel like you got a glow.” Representing the Jordan brand is something that Miles couldn’t even dream of, Richardson had a similar story.
He said, “Have Mike handpick us and say, ‘You coming with me.’ Have MJ put his arm around you and tell you, ‘Come on I got you.’ For me growing up in Chicago, to grow up and say, ‘I know Michael Jordan’, that’s mind-blowing.” Even though they’ve been retired for decades, they still speak highly of MJ and the entire experience, which shows just how honest their admiration was.
