Michael Jordan Leaned Toward Signing With Adidas, But They Couldn’t Match Nike’s Offer

If not for the fact that sneaker brand Adidas couldn’t match a much better offer from upstart Nike, NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan would have signed with the German company at the beginning of his storied basketball career.

The Basketball Network unearthed an old video clip of Jordan discussing the decision to roll with the company that helped him set the tone as a legendary pitchman, Nike. With bigger names at the time having a lock on endorsing athletes, Converse and Adidas were in the mix when it came down to trying to get in business with Jordan. Jordan even admitted that he was an Adidas man upon entering the NBA and would have preferred being involved with them.

The University of North Carolina alum also wore Converse while playing during his collegiate years. He did state that he “really liked” the Adidas brand, and during negotiations with them, he gave them a chance to match the offer being given to him by Nike. That deal included Jordan being involved in the design and marketing of the shoe. The sneaker affiliated with Jordan would also have to meet the basketball player’s approval.

“I really liked Adidas,” Jordan stated. “So I went back to Adidas, hearing what Nike had proposed to me and said, ‘If you match it, I’ll go with Adidas.’ And they actually never matched the deal. They couldn’t even come close.”

That was ultimately the deciding factor for the Chicago Bulls legend.

“I went with Nike and they centered everything around myself,” Jordan said. “And gave me the option to create with the basketball shoe, put my input, give my input on the basketball shoe in terms of the way I like it, and from that point on, it just kind of rolled.”

It seems as if Jordan made the right choice as he has his own signature company, Jordan Brand, where he is still involved in the executive decisions for Nike.