Michael Jordan’s influence on the next generation went beyond just his mastery over the game of basketball. DJ Khaled is someone who has taken inspiration from MJ, not just for his hardwood antics but his commercial success as well. In an interview with RollingStones, the platinum-recording artist revealed his obsession with Jordan’s commercials and how it played a role in his collaboration with Nesquik.
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Jordan became such a household name that any brand deal of his had his face front and center. David Stern during the ‘Last Dance’ even stated that attaching a ‘handsome’ face like Michael’s combined with his skills to the NBA was the right move in helping the league gain more popularity.
So, when it came to his own Nesquik collaboration, DJ Khaled couldn’t help himself from trying to emulate MJ. The interview went from Khaled talking about his upcoming projects to enjoying golf, and of course, his most recent collab.
“I remember seeing Michael Jordan on a Wheaties box, right? That’s huge. It’s a dream come true. It’s a goal of mine to be able to collaborate with a powerful brand like this.”
Moreover, Khaled also mentioned how this is something his son could showcase in his room as well.
“So now when he sees this, he put one in his room.”
This isn’t Khaled’s first big time collaboration however. When it comes to Jordan brand, he had an Air Jordan 5 colorway released under the ‘We The Best’ moniker with the color code described as ‘Crimson Bliss’. While this wasn’t one of the more popular AJ5 colorways, it certainly does have its own place in Jordan collab history.
Michael Jordan did thorough research on his brand involvements
“I’m involved with everything. Nothing passes me without my input in my collaboration…We try to make the best technical basketball shoes that we could…But at the same time, we try to make the best stylish basketball shoe in coordination with what the consumer wanted.”
MJ stated this in an old interview about Jordan Brand and explained how he has input control over the final product to deliver the best in terms of both style and performance. It isn’t just promotion that Jordan does. He stands for whatever he promotes.
Jordan’s popularity wasn’t limited to just basketball. His winning persona became a part of numerous brands that promoted their product using that image. And Michael certainly did not shy away as he played his part to perfection. The Hall of Famer’s meticulous nature when it came to making sure his collabs were with brands he agreed with helped sway the public’s perception towards him as well.
