“Michael Jordan Doesn’t Have Enough Credibility!”: How Nike’s Disbelief Led to Creation of ‘Air Jordan’

Michael Jordan is widely considered the greatest basketball player of all time. Jordan’s laurels in the world of basketball are almost peerless and established his legacy as a champion athlete.

However, it wasn’t just on the court that His Airness’ legacy was limited to. MJ is arguably the most culturally significant athlete of all time, and that came about with his legendary affiliation with Nike and the Jordan Brand.

Nike and Jordan went from being relative unknowns to the biggest names in the sport together. And their relationship was sparked by various brave choices, but none as important possibly, as the name of their product itself – Air Jordan.

Michael Jordan wasn’t quite ‘His Airness’ when Nike decided to make him their face in the NBA. To any outsider, it may have seemed a huge risk. But the executives at Nike knew what they were doing. From A to Z, this was an exercise they got right. So, how did ‘Air Jordan’ come to be?

The man behind the name, David Falk, explained the origins to the world. All credit in the story is attributed to Falk himself.

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David Falk proposed ‘Air Jordan’ as an alternative to just using Michael Jordan’s name for the line of products.

Falk, Michael Jordan’s agent at the time, was leading negotiations with Nike. In Falk’s version, MJ even preferred signing with the more established Adidas at the time. But the agent definitely nudged the young Bull in the right direction.

Falk negotiated a deal with Nike that would give Jordan unique status from the off. The rookie from UNC was about to get his own line of products before even being an established figure in the league. While it might sound absurd, in hindsight, the move feels like a no-brainer.

However, negotiations posed a challenge. Falk wanted the product to be marketed a la Tennis where stars had their own line of products under their individual name brands. But that was unheard of in a team sport like basketball.

As a newbie, Nike did want to try something new and agreed to the idea. However, not with just ‘Michael Jordan’ as the name. After all, what credibility can a 21-year-old claim before even making his NBA debut?

It was then that Falk’s genius sparked a revolution. MJ’s agent came up with a solution, a marketable name that wasn’t completely bereft of the Michael Jordan identity. Thus was born ‘Air Jordan’, a mix of the Jordan name and the high-flying style of basketball that was a staple of his client’s game.

It wasn’t just limited to that though. The name also complemented Nike’s ‘Air’ technology which was spurring their growth across the globe. A win-win for all parties involved, evidently. The success of ‘Air Jordan’s were unprecedented and helped Michael Jordan become the first billionaire athlete.

Michael Jordan’s brand even got its separate existence from Nike in 1997.

The iconic Jumpman logo has become one of the most recognizable logos across brands in the world. However, this came into existence only because the ‘Air Jordan’ brand became big enough to be its own entity.

In 1997, the ‘Nike Air’ branding ceased, and the Jumpman era began. Although still under Nike’s portfolio, Jordan brand has become an independent giant in its own right.

The brand reached an evaluation of $4.8 billion in 2021, climbing 31% from its value the year prior. Michael Jordan might be long retired, but his legacy and his brand only seem to grow with time.

Also Read: How Much Has Michael Jordan Made From Nike in 5 Years?