On the series finale of Complex’s sneaker show Full Size Run, Marcus Jordan made an appearance to talk about his retail store of Jordan shoes, the Trophy Room. The 33-year-old also talked about his father, Michael Jordan’s involvement in the Jordan Brand. The popular brand under Nike has raked in $330 million for Jordan this year. That’s partly why co-host Matt Welty asked the Trophy Room founder about the extent of his father’s involvement in the company.
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Welty compared His Airness’ involvement in his business affairs to Vince McMahon, whose approval drove the storyline in WWE. Talking about the involvement of his father in the brand, Marcus Jordan said, “Hell yeah, hell yeah. He isn’t sitting there individually designing aglets and lace tapes and things like that. But ultimately throughout the process, they bring him the products and he’ll give his you know unfiltered opinions on them-whether he likes it or not, the designers will know.”
Marcus explained that MJ still has the final say in designing the products under his banner. Even though he may not be directly involved in the process of designing the products, the designers still need his approval to release new products in the market.
Then co-host Brendan Dunne was interested in knowing the “strongest opinion’’ the 6x NBA champion has provided on a sample till date. Marcus revealed that his father disapproved of the Jordan 7s initially. He further disclosed, “With the booty[shoe heel], he wasn’t feeling it at first. Actually, I had Chino from Soulfly put them on, cuz he was at the crib that day. Then my dad kind of came around, he was like, ‘Alright, that’s kind of dope.”
During the show, the former UCF guard also revealed that he had to bypass MJ to get in touch with Magic Johnson. He wanted Johnson to approve of using his likeness for releasing the Trophy Room version of Air Jordan 7s. Marcus admitted that he had to go through a lot of trouble to contact the Lakers legend, because had he asked his father, he’d have shot down the idea.
Like in his basketball career, MJ brings a perfectionist approach to business as well. That’s why he is careful about what product gets out under his name. It is laudable that he doesn’t leave any stone unturned to ensure the product quality is up to the mark.
MJ had once revealed that he gives his best every single game so that a kid who’s watching him for the first time gets to experience the real Michael Jordan. It’s pretty obvious that he brings the same philosophy to his business as well, providing his fans with the best sneakers possible.
Michael Jordan is the sneaker GOAT
It is no secret that MJ’s Air Jordan shoes remain the hottest commodities for basketball lovers. Earlier this year, Forbes reported that the Jordan brand has seen a jump of 28.6% in revenue compared to 2022. As a result, the 6x Finals MVP has scooped up an impressive $330 million from his Nike partnership in 2023 alone. This partnership that began as a five-year, $2.5 million deal in 1984 changed the shoe game forever. The Jordan shoes continue to arrest attention and have become a blueprint for NBA athletes across eras.
The brand is the biggest reason for the 10x NBA scoring champion reaching the billionaire status. Apart from that, building a personal brand under the name of Jordan has been the biggest payoff. A 2022 study revealed that Jordan has captured 11% of the sneaker’s market share, which puts it 2% ahead of Adidas and just behind Nike’s 18%. Jordan’s involvement and personal branding have played a central role in this incredible spike in his brand. Whether he is the GOAT of the NBA still remains up for debate, but there is surely no debate that he is the GOAT of the sneaker business.
