Darius Miles’ NBA career might have only been for 8 years. But growing up, he always visited Michael Jordan camps, since his sophomore year, every summer. During his senior year camp at the Santa Barbara Jordan camp, he recalls how Jordan was unhappy with Miles’ choice of footwear and pushed Nike to sign him. AND1 is currently valued at $140 Million, it used to be a hot commodity, especially in the basketball crowd.
On the latest episode of Run it Back, he said, “We was trying to get a Nike deal, but Nike was kind of BSing, so we draped in AND1… (Michael Jordan) looked at us, he was like ‘why y’all got that on? and we was like we can’t get a deal, we want to be with Nike. Agent called us the next morning, and people knocking on our door, and they sent us boxes and boxes of Jordans.”
Also, he recalled how his agent was surprised and asked him what really happened. Miles replied saying, “Nothing, Michael Jordan he signed me and Quentin Richardson to Jordan and made Nike pay us.”
Why Darius Miles considers Michael Jordan his family
Miles recalls before signing with Jordan, that summer they have been receiving free stuff from AND1. Since it was a popular brand they didn’t think it was a problem. Until Michael Jordan signed them up with Nike. He revealed the details on The Players Tribune, What the Hell Happened to Darius Miles? Man, that summer, And1 had been sending us all this free stuff. I’m talking crates of shoes, clothes, headbands. That was when And1 was really popping, so we were rocking with it. We don’t know no better! We’re 19, like, we winning!
Miles further highlights how from the first time he met Michael Jordan he considered him like his uncle. The way Jordan treated them and hooked them up with Nike was unbelievable. “I mean, Mike’s picture was on my mantle in East Saint, you know? That meant more than anything that he showed us respect like that and made us part of his family. We started getting all these boxes of super-rare Js mailed to us before they even came out. And maybe this sounds crazy, but that was the moment that really gave me chills. If you’re not from where we’re from, then maybe you won’t understand what I mean.”
Miles further explains how happy he was sharing everything not only with his family but his entire community. Speaking to Michael Jordan on a daily basis plus getting signed to his brand was surreal. “But that was the moment that was like … Damn, look at where we are now. Mike is sending us Js. Mike is sending Js To us. We’re talking Mike. Man, I had my whole family rocking Js. I had my grandmomma rocking Js. I had the whole of East St. Louis rocking Js.”