It feels like the sneaker wars between Nike and Adidas have been going on since the beginning of time. Other companies, such as Reebok or Under Armour, have also been relevant throughout the years, but those two companies have been the main characters of the shoe game for over 40 years with little interruption. The first huge victory in that war came back in 1984, when Nike signed Michael Jordan to what ended up being the most significant shoe deal in history.
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Even today, Air Jordans are the most coveted shoes out there, with enthusiasts and collectors snatching up every new release and seeking out the best vintage pairs to own. The brand has made Jordan the most successful athlete-turned-businessman in history, and have continued his standing as a household name around the world even though he retired from playing over 22 years ago.
Legendary sneaker executive Sonny Vaccaro has often been credited as the guy most responsible for signing Michael Jordan to Nike, a move which changed the game in so many ways. He was even played by Matt Damon in the 2023 movie Air. However, Vaccaro says there was another unsung hero that deserves to be credited instead.
Appearing on the Hooked on Hoops podcast, Vaccaro pointed to Peter Moore, the original designer of the Air Jordan shoe, as the one who convinced Jordan to choose what was, at the time, a struggling brand to make his signature shoe.
“It was all Peter Moore,” Vaccaro said. “He revolutionized the shoe industry.” Vaccaro said that various Nike people throughout the years tried to deny or minimize Moore’s importance, but Vaccaro himself was there when Moore designed those first Air Jordans. As Air depicted, what ultimately sold Jordan was seeing the radical red and black design.
As Vaccaro said, “Peter Moore has done more for that industry than anybody, because he gave everyone else the strength to do things differently.” His color scheme violated the NBA’s dress code at the time, which stated that shoes must contain more than 50% white. Moore’s design helped Jordan stand out for more than just his prodigious talent, and Nike paid the $5,000-per-game fine.
The success of Air Jordans helped Nike push Adidas out of the basketball market, and Adidas didn’t really strike back until over a decade later, when they hired Moore and made him the company’s creative director, and soon after, its president.
Moore was hugely important, but Vaccaro is being modest by not taking his share of the pie. It was actually him who ended up changing the tides in the shoe war by joining Adidas in 1992. Adidas eventually reclaimed their seat at the table and may have taken the lead when he signed Kobe Bryant.
Along with Nike founder Phil Knight, Vaccaro and Moore are probably the two most influential non-athletes or agents in the history of the sneaker game. Who knows what the landscape would look like if Vaccaro hadn’t signed MJ and Moore hadn’t changed the sports world with his Air Jordan design, which eventually forced the NBA to change its rules and allow for more creative expression from its players.
