Many athletes dream of having their own line of shoes one day. In today’s world, several NBA athletes boast a lucrative sneaker deal with some of the biggest players in the market. In fact, recently Nike brought in 13 rookies this year under their roof and offered them shoe deals. The top draft pick of this year, Victor Wembanyama is among those 13 rookies.
The sneaker culture and the NBA have grown together over several decades. While there were athletes who had shoe deals before Michael Jordan, post MJ the shoe game had a complete makeover. Since then, Jordan has been active in bringing athletes under his brand. The first athlete for the Chicago Bulls legend, recently unveiled what it was like to do business with Jordan.
The Jordan brand
The post-Jordan era saw a massive surge in interest in the shoes that NBA stars wore. While Jordan’s deal was path-breaking in itself, he has only raised the bar higher after his retirement. The story of MJ’s one of its kind deal with Nike was recently covered in the movie Air. The move provided a great insight into what went behind the scenes to close the iconic deal. Soon after his retirement in 2003, MJ decided to bring in the third pick of the 2003 NBA draft as his first athlete under his brand.
Carmelo Anthony, at only 19 years of age was the first athlete to sign a deal with Jordan. Coming fresh off of a phenomenal draft experience, he signed a massive six-year deal with the Jordan brand. During his recent conversation with GQ, he was asked about his experience working with the 6x NBA champion. He said, “When you work for the guy, and you’re not only working for him, you have your own brand under his brand”.
Melo said that initially, he didn’t understand the importance of the deal but soon, he realized the massive impact it could have. The 10x All-Star said that now they “kind of have conversations now about what that journey was like”.
What other athletes have a signature shoe deal with Jordan?
It is pretty understandable that inking a deal with the man who changed the NBA world decades ago is a great opportunity. However, the Jordan brand is very cautious about who they bring in. That is why, despite their immense popularity, they have only a handful of athletes signed to the brand. Among the current athletes, Luka Doncic, Zion Williamson, and Russell Westbrook are some of the names who boast a lucrative deal with Jordan.
Apart from them, Chris Paul also has a signature shoe deal with the brand.