Michael Jordan from the moment he stepped into the NBA was already far beyond anyone else. With him came the burden of the largest shoe deal in league history. A mouthwatering $500,000 a year from shoe endorsements in 1984 was unheard of. At the time, the largest deal belonged to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who earned a measly $100,000 a year. MJ was already the messiah.
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The Bulls rookie was electric, even in his college days, and had gone under the radar during draft night. All attention was on Hakeem Olajuwon, who was hailed as the next great big in a league of bigs. Jordan, a guard was slighted thanks to this philosophy.
But Nike and Sonny Vaccaro saw something else. Sonny believed that MJ was the new herald. He would usher in a new era in basketball. Watching Jordan fly and dunk the ball, made him believe that he was so far removed and ahead of his class that he would instantly be a hit.
So, when the deal hit the headlines, it shook the league. At the time the NBA was just recuperating its image, Magic and Bird’s rivalry had brought the charm back to the league. But it was still cash poor. And the figure of half a million a year for a rookie raised questions.
Jordan eclipsed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s $100,000 shoe deal by 5 times!
Easy to think of these numbers as small these days. $100,000 isn’t a big sum anymore. But 4 decades ago, it was huge. The belief around Michael Jordan was not a lot, to begin with. Only Nike had it and they were seen as foolhardy. Particularly, Sonny Vaccaro, who had already staked his yearly salary in case Jordan didn’t work out.
As per Michael Jordan: The Life, it was clear that the conviction was resolute. Ironclad almost. “Jordan could fly“, Sonny told Rob Strasser in 1984.
It was enough for Nike to go all-in and offer Michael Jordan 5x the amount Kareem made in a year. Of course, this didn’t fly well with players in the league. They believed that he would flop. But Jordan never folded. And that made things worse
In the 1985 NBA All-Star Game, Michael Jordan was envied and outcast
So, the All-Star game rolls around and no player was happy to see the rookie start the game. However, MJ was delighted. But he wasn’t aware of the rest of the all-stars’ sinister plan to not pass him the ball and to shut him out.
He was outlawed. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was also there. And he played all his minutes and got the ball several times. The slight to Jordan stemmed from Kareem’s teammate Magic Johnson and the Detroit Pistons point guard, Isiah Thomas.
The incident was enough for Jordan. He used it as fuel and eventually in the 90s, eviscerated both of them in the playoffs. Jordan’s value has risen steadily over the years.
At age 60, he is more of a legend than anyone to ever play the game of basketball. His brand is a staple in the sneaker world and his deal has helped him make his Billions.
