Michael Jordan wasn’t just a star on the court from the moment he stepped into the NBA; he was also the most profitable and endorsement-worthy player from a business standpoint. From Coca-Cola to Gatorade to Chevrolet to McDonald’s, His Airness became the face of numerous endorsements; however, none gave him as much success as Nike.
With Nike, his ‘Air Jordan’ brand became a global fashion and luxury statement. Interestingly, had it been for his former teammate and social activist – Craig Hodges, Jordan might have parted ways with Nike right before winning his first NBA championship.
With a vision to benefit the Black Community and offer long-term jobs to them, Hodges proposed Jordan start his own shoe brand. However, when the six-time Finals MVP declined, the 6’2″ point guard grew so disappointed that he referred to Mike as a ‘Frankenstein Monster’ created by ‘Supermaxy Racists.’
Why did Jordan decline Hodges’ idea?
Hodges held strong views on politics, racial issues, and social activism and tended to be outspoken and blunt on these matters, which many believe led to him being blackballed by the NBA.
When Mike’s contract renewal with Nike was approaching, the 2-time NBA Champ pitched the idea to the former to start his own shoe brand, leveraging his immense and growing popularity. The goal was to employ individuals from the Black Community instead of exploiting cheap labor from China and other Asian countries, providing permanent jobs to those who were unemployed or were selling drugs out on the streets.
“I tell the brother, look, we can get the factory for a dollar,” Hodges said during his interview with DJ Vlad. “We can make the means of production from production from Asia, and all the rubber is coming under the feet from black people. You don’t think we can match those things together, and now we have a ready-made workforce standing on the corner selling dope.”
While Craig foresaw Mike’s destined popularity, the 14-time All-Star wasn’t sold on the idea. Ironically, he believed no one would remember him in the next 10 years.
Hodges was displeased by Jordan
At the time, the six-time NBA champion was uncertain about his legacy and had everything to prove on the court. Eventually, he accomplished his goals, becoming arguably the biggest sporting icon and transforming the Air Jordan brand into a billion-dollar entity. However, to Hodges, Mike was nothing but a monster consumed by the greed of making money at any cost.
“MJ is a Frankenstein monster created by white supremacy racists who have made that into a model that’s able to be consumed by the world under a Black face,” Hodges concluded.
Hodges’ discontent with MJ likely extended beyond that shoe brand incident. He had also asked both Mike and Magic Johnson to boycott Game 1 of the 1991 NBA Finals in the wake of Rodney King’s incident involving the LAPD, which had occurred just three months before. That attempt, too, was unsuccessful.