In the mid-90s, Nike made a major business move after years of successful collaboration with NBA superstar Michael Jordan on the ‘Air Jordan’ sneaker line. They gave MJ his own brand, the ‘Jordan’ brand, which would feature new products.
For its promotion, MJ personally selected a group of five players who received endorsement deals. The first among these pioneers, known as ‘Team Jordan,’ was the then-rookie Ray Allen. Naturally, ‘Ray-Ray’ was immensely proud of this unique honor.
“I was the one guy in the league who had Brand Jordans on my feet,” recounted Allen, per Andscape.
Maintaining brand visibility
The famous Air Jordan sneaker line was launched in the mid-80s, at the height of Jordan’s extraordinary career. Many of his fans believed that owning a pair of ‘Air Jordans’ would help them to be like Mike, leading to significant sales numbers.
However, by 1996, with the Bulls legend approaching his mid-30s, the company anticipated his retirement from basketball and, therefore, worried about a potential decrease in brand visibility without him on the court. This led to the introduction of the said endorsement deals, with players being handpicked by ‘His Airness’ based on specific criteria.
“The goal was to hopefully find athletes that had a little bit of Michael in them. In our mind, Michael…did so many things really well. And while you may never find that one guy that has the complete package, you can find a little bit of some of those things in several athletes,” remembered one former Jordan Brand product director.
Team Jordan’s roster
Allen, prior to coming to the league in 1996, had a sponsorship deal with FILA. His contract expiration, coupled with his exceptional shooting skills and immense potential, made him MJ’s clear top choice – although the guard wasn’t fully aware of that.
“I didn’t know how connected and linked in MJ was with what was going on…if it was the company, or if he was making all the decisions,” remembered Ray-Ray.
Derek Anderson, drafted 13th the following year, impressed ‘His Airness’ with his exceptional work ethic during ACL injury rehab and impressive athleticism.
“Everyone brought something different, but everyone brought something from him. Everything from us was an entity of M.J.,” Anderson said in hindsight.
The up-and-coming Michael Finley, much like MJ, was a versatile swingman. He also took great pride in his commitment to ‘Team Jordan.’
“To have M.J. pick you as one of the originals, that’s an honor,” Finley remarked. ‘It was just us five…our own little fraternity.”
The ‘Starting five’ was completed by the versatile guard Eddie Jones and the skilled stretch four Vin Baker, who was Allen’s teammate in Milwaukee.
In early September 1997, Nike made the official announcement of the launch of the Jordan Brand. During its first season, the featured members had the opportunity to sport Jumpman sneakers in their team’s colors.
Since then, an array of players have joined ‘Team Jordan’ over the years, including superstars such as Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Jimmy Butler, Kawhi Leonard, Russell Westbrook, and more recently, Zion Williamson and Luka Doncic.