Whenever someone looks at the iconic Jumpman logo, they are reminded of the legendary Michael Jordan. Almost 4 decades since its conception, it has now become synonymous with basketball royalty. In 2020, it was announced that the Jordan brand logo, which only appeared on the Jordan-owned Charlotte Hornets jerseys till then, would appear on all the NBA teams’ Statement Edition jerseys. Despite all the fame and success, the brand has come under scrutiny regarding an old accusation.
Nick DePaula covers the footwear industry and NBA, WNBA & NIL marketing. In his latest newsletter, he brought to light the Logo controversy surrounding the brand, which is earning nearly $7 billion in annual revenue with sales across every global region in which Nike operates. The Chicago Bulls legend and the brand have been cut above the rest since its inception. However, the beginnings of the brand and the creation of the logo have been once again challenged.
This month, a 22-minute documentary dubbed ‘JUMPMAN’ will be released at the ongoing Tribeca Film Festival, which will unravel the original controversy behind just how the Jordan pose came to be. “I didn’t take the picture. I made the picture,” Dutch photographer Jacobus “Co” Rentmeester says in the documentary.
Rentmeester traveled to North Carolina as a freelancer for a LIFE Magazine feature photoshoot featuring the newest addition to the Bulls roster, Michael Jordan. It was an outdoor shoot setup, and he was allotted 20 minutes to capture His Airness. But after Jordan signed with Nike later that fall, one of the brand’s first photo shoots looked familiar, as it featured Jordan leaping up and palming the ball in his left hand, leading with his left foot outdoors in front of a sun-setting backdrop.
Rentmeester even went to court in 2014, but his case was dismissed in 2018. The positioning of Jordan’s right hand is different, while the angle of his body is turned as well, said the courts. Jordan not only had legal court trouble but also had trouble with Air Jordan on the basketball court.
Michael Jordan and the NBA Controversy
Air Jordan 1 started a sneaker revolution that no one expected would boom so much. The colorway of the sneakers was bold black and red, which the NBA did not like. They had a policy of white shoes and even fined $5000 every time Jordan wore the shoes on the court. But the publicity and the buzz the banned shoe created were worth the fine.
In its first year, it almost made $144million, with each pair reportedly priced around $65 at the time. Jordan appeared on the famous David Letterman show, where he was asked about the shoes being banned in his satirical way. “Michael, is this the shoe? Of course, we can’t show what kind of shoe this is. But, is this the shoe that the NBA wouldn’t let you wear? Now, why wouldn’t they let you wear it? ‘Cause it’s ugly?” asked Letterman. Jordan agreed that the shoes were ugly because of the color schemes.
The late-night television talk show host asked what was the rule that it was violating. Jordan replied, “Well, it didn’t have any white in it.” Although this light-hearted joke has been squashed, the 88-year-old Rentmeester is looking to share his story and the origins of the Jumpman pose through the documentary. The good thing is that JUMPMAN is expected to be available on a streaming platform shortly after its release.
Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, had to say about the Reese-Clark rivalry and more, watch this video.