Michael Jordan collaborated to start his Air Jordan brand with Nike in 1985. It has become one of the most successful shoe lines there has ever been. So successful in fact that Jordan earns roughly $60 million a year from it.
The brand as a whole is said to be valued at over one billion dollars. Air Jordan has been around for over 30 years and is still popular as ever. Every time Jordan comes out with a new release, fans line up at the doors to get their hands on the new pair.
Air Jordan
In order to promote the Air Jordan brand shoes, Nike uses the “Jumpman” logo, which looks like Michael Jordan doing a slam dunk mid-air. However, the logo came about from a photo shoot for Life magazine in 1984.
Life had staged Jordan performing a ballet move called the “grand jete”, which imitates him going into the air. However, if you look at the logo and then watch Jordan dunk in real life, you’ll see that the two are very different.
Fined For Wearing His Own Shoes
As we’ve stated previously, Michael Jordan was fiercely loyal to Nike. He was so set on selling Jordan’s that he wore his red and black shoes during his games. According to the NBA dress code, this was a violation and he was fined every time he wore them.
This was pocket change for him, and he willingly paid them each time he was fined. After all, he was one of the top paid athletes in the entire world.
Before Space Jam
By reading the title you’re probably thinking that we’re referring the Space Jam but we’re not. Before that film came out, Michael Jordan himself was made into a cartoon. A show called ProStars aired for two years, which turned hi, Bo Jackson, and Wayne Gretzky into superhero cartoons.
The players did not voice their own characters, but they answered fan questions. Trying to find clips of the show would be hard to find today however, you may be able to find some on YouTube.
What Inspired the Space Jam Film?
The classic Space Jam was released in 1996. The movie has Michael Jordan pairing up with Bugs Bunny as they try to beat the Monstars at a basketball game to save the planet. As we all know now, the movie was a total hit. However, this wasn’t the first time Michael was seen on TV with Bugs Bunny.
Warner Brothers came up with the idea for the film after the popular 1993 Nike commercial. The brand put the two together in a commercial that aired during the Super Bowl. Space Jam would end up being the highest grossing basketball film of all time.