“Michael Jordan used to be called Magic Mike”: When the Bulls legend idolized Magic Johnson and mimicked everything the Showtime Lakers star did

Michael Jordan used to look up to Magic Johnson before he entered the league. Then, a shoe deal changed everything for the Bulls legend. 

MJ’s love for the game came from a very young age. As a youngster, he idolized Magic Johnson, the Showtime Lakers’ superstar.

During high school, he tried to do everything Magic did on the court. He copied him in every aspect of the game, so much so, that his friend used to call him Magic Mike.

Michael said on a podcast that he even had a Magic Mike sticker on his car. The idolizing and looking up all took a u-turn when Jordan started making a name for himself.

Also read: “Kobe Bryant called Michael Jordan ‘Mr. Jordan’?! No way!”: When a high school Black Mamba met the Bulls legend for the very first time

Michael Jordan: The young phenom

While Michael may have idolized Magic Johnson, it would not last long. As MJ grew into a player of his own, his name began to grow.

He was fast becoming a superstar and in college, he won the NCAA title with UNC. He was the first athlete to be offered a shoe deal and even a signature shoe by Nike. All of this was before he even stepped foot on an NBA court.

The league quickly took notice, a young phenom was here and he already came with huge expectations on his shoulder.

Other stars in the league didn’t have their own signature shoe. Magic Johnson was one of those stars.

What ensued was something that would start a bitter rivalry between a young boy and his hero.

In this two-part series, we cover the start of a vendetta between the MJs. The next part covers how Magic was the conductor of the freezeout and the start of a vendetta.

When Michael Jordan reluctantly accepted Nike’s shoe deal back in ‘84, he got paid $250K and Nike hoped to sell $3M worth of sneakers by year 4. They sold $126M in year 1! The line generates $3B+ now and makes MJ ~$200M/yr and he’s not touched a ball in 17 years! #TheLastDance

— Rahul Ganjoo (@elegantlywasted) May 10, 2020