“They Sell Nikes in the Pro Shop”: Michael Jordan Was Adamant on Not Having Pumas on Grove XXIII, Says George Lopez

Three-time NBA champion Byron Scott recently hosted comedian George Lopez on his podcast. During their conversation, Lopez revealed a hilarious incident that happened while he was playing golf with Michael Jordan at his private golf course in Hobe Sound, Florida.

“I had never met Michael Jordan, you know. And he has a golf course over there, Grove XXIII. So we get invited to go play over there… And I’ve never met him so I don’t know if he’s going to be there,” Lopez shared on ‘Byron Scott’s Fast Break’.

Jordan began building Grove XXIII in 2017 after securing a 200-acre property next to Atlantic Ridge State Park. Since its opening in 2019, only a select few celebrities and athletes have had the chance to swing their clubs there. Lopez was invited to the property by Jeffrey Jordan, and private invitations are the only way for guests to set foot on the property.

“You go in the locker room and he [Jordan] is there,” Lopez said. “Afterwards, we’re in there. There’s probably like 20 guys and MJ is right there. We’re drinking, laughing… And then he looks at Brian, and he looks at his shoes. Motherf***er is wearing Pumas.”

It’s a rookie move to accept an invitation from the owner of the Jordan brand and wear anything but Nikes. But MJ was not hard on his guest.

“Michael Jordan goes, ‘You know, we sell Nikes in the pro shop. I know those s**ts are hurting your feet, we got Jordans in the pro shop.’ And those dudes were f***ing rolling. Because it wasn’t a representative of the Jordan brand, it wasn’t Phil Knight, it was the motherf***ing Jumpman himself.”

His Airness’ loyalty to Nike has been evident throughout the years. Their partnership earned him his billions and he remains the staunchest supporter of the brand. Even professional athletes’ shoes are not safe around the six-time NBA champion.

Michael Jordan gave Jalen Green a pair of Jordan slides

During his appearance on ‘Podcast P with Paul George’, Jalen Green revealed one of his first interactions with His Airness. “I went to a Michael Jordan camp in San Diego,” the 23-year-old began.

“I got like high socks on up to my knees, baggy shorts. My swag was terrible. I got Adidas slides on. He [Jordan] just walk up to me and was like, ‘You need to take them weak a** Adidas slides off… You need to get some Jordan slides.'”

Thankfully, Mike didn’t just deflate the youngster, he gifted him a pair of Jordan slides after their conversation. But Green’s story just reflects how possessive MJ is about his brand. Whether it’s an adult or a child, nobody is safe around him unless they’re donning Nikes.

It’s particularly funny because Green is now an Adidas athlete, and has been since he joined the NBA in 2021. And he isn’t the only athlete from three stripes that MJ has forced to remove their shoes.

Tim Thomas, who was a lottery selection in the 1997 NBA Draft, was invited to Jordan’s house after his rookie season. However, as he later revealed, he wasn’t welcome in Adidas clothing.

“So, they basically stripped me down and put me in all Nike gear. So, when I end up leaving MJ’s house, the funny thing was all my Adidas gear was packed up in the bag sitting outside. He didn’t even want to leave the gear inside,” Thomas shared on Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson’s podcast.

Interestingly, Thomas too was an Adidas athlete at the time. Perhaps it’s Mike’s way of holding a grudge against the brand for passing on him in the 1980s.