“Never Saw Michael Jordan Play Again”: Sonny Vaccaro Put MJ on Nike’s A-List Based on Just 1 Game – His NCAA Final

Michael Jordan is one of the most recognizable athletes in the world. One of the reasons why, is because of his brand, the Jordan brand. One that makes billions of dollars in revenue each year. But, how did the brand come into existence?

Well, one can argue, that it was MJ’s skill, ability, and sheer dominance that swayed Nike into signing him. The truth is, both Nike and Jordan have one person to thank, Sonny Vaccaro. Vaccaro, a former sports marketing executive was the one to convince Phil Knight and the company that Michael Jeffrey Jordan was the player to sign.

However, this leads to another question. What convinced Sonny that Michael was his man? Well, it was one game, the NCAA Finals against Georgetown. The only game that Vaccaro saw and that was enough for him to know that he had found a star.

Sonny Vaccaro watched Michael Jordan play in the NCAA Finals and never saw him play again after that

The world of basketball was turned upside down by Michael Jordan and the Air Jordan brand. They not only changed the sneaker game, but also revolutionized the concepts of sports marketing, advertising, and branding. A truly innovative product.

That being said, none of it would have been possible if it weren’t for Sonny Vaccaro. Granted, MJ was the one making the brand famous, but there may have never been a brand if Vaccaro hadn’t found Jordan. How did he find Jordan? Well, he watched His Airness take on Georgetown University in the 1982 NCAA Finals.

But, what is more shocking, is the fact that it was the only game of his Sonny saw. And, to hear him say it, as he did on The Rich Eisen Show, he never saw another game of his after that. At least, not until His Airness went pro.

“Michael Jordan was on my A-List. That day when he hit that shot on Georgetown, and you know, because you followed my life, Georgetown was one of our Nike teams. He hit that shot that beat the team that was working for Nike at that time. We had nothing to do with North Carolina at that time, and had never met Dean Smith”, said Vaccaro. So, Eisen asked, “And, you had never seen Michael Jordan play?”, to which he replied, “Never, and never saw him play again until he went pro!”

It truly is like something straight out of a fairytale, and it certainly was. 41 years down the line, Air Jordan is one of the biggest brands in the world. And, as for Sonny, well he now has a movie about that very moment when he discovered the GOAT.

Sonny Vaccaro’s discovery of Jordan has been dramatized in the movie “Air”

There can be no denying, that the creation of the Jordan brand is a historic event. One that happened, as has been mentioned before, thanks to Sonny Vaccaro. Well, for those sneakerheads who want to know all the details of the Michael Jordan signing, the movie “Air” is the flick to see. Starring Ben Affleck, Chris Tucker, and Matt Damon, the movie follows in detail Sonny Vaccaro’s discovery of the greatest player of all time.

According to reviews, it definitely is worth the watch. And, should give a lot of insights into a deal that changed the entire sporting world.