Michael Jordan made Nike a $126 million profit in his 1st year, all thanks to a 80s R&B song

Michael Jordan is the biggest face for the Nike brand, but he almost signed with a close competitor if not for a great pitch meeting.

The Bulls legend has accomplished what NBA players dream of doing in his career. Six championships, six Finals MVP’s, five NBA MVP’s, an obvious Hall of Fame induction, and much more has cemented Jordan’s legacy as the greatest NBA player of all time.

So, why was his career so confusing? Well, he retired thrice in his career, to give you some context. If that sounds weird to you, that’s because it is. His first retirement was by far the most surprising as it came only nine years into his career, and he had just started to win at the highest level, coming off of his first three-peat.

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Nike used an R&B song to woo Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan was destined for greatness coming out of college. He knew it, and the major sportswear companies in the world knew it.

In 1984, Nike wasn’t the brand it is now. Adidas, and even Converse, were much bigger players in the NBA market, and they seemed like the preferred destinations for MJ.

Jordan even admitted that he wanted to sign with Adidas, but he chooses not to delve too deep into that story as it could harm his business with Nike right now.

“I hate repeating that because I don’t want Adidas to gain something from it,” Jordan said. “I once did like their shoes.”

Jordan was all ready to sign with Adidas before Nike bust out the big guns. During their pitch meeting with Jordan, they played a loop of Jordan’s highlights over The Pointer Sisters’, an R&B group popular in the 1980s, “Jump” song, and they offered him a record five-year, $500,000 contract.

They also boosted his deal with incentives including winning rookie of the year, being an All Star, and averaging over 20ppg. Little did they know, they were dealing with the greatest of all time, as Jordan managed to do all three in his rookie year.

Nike also wanted to protect their sales, and they said that if they couldn’t sell $4 million worth of Jordans in two years, they’d void the deal. Jordan netted $126 million for Nike in his first year.

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