Imagine being a kid in the 80s and seeing Magic Johnson and Larry Bird going at it. It was by far the biggest rivalry in basketball. But just when things were peaking, you saw a young 6’6 man wearing the Chicago Bulls jersey doing things that no one had ever seen before. Suddenly, basketball and, in fact, the whole world changed. That’s how the birth of Michael Jordan’s legend took place. A legend so big that it impacted other sporting icons like Alex Rodriguez and the Tennis Icon Serena Williams. 

Jordan was perhaps the first person who understood the meaning of branding. More importantly, he was the one who made Nike into such an iconic brand. From the marketing standpoint, no brand has ever attained the status that the “Jordans” have among sports fans. So is it a surprise that both Williams and A-Rod tried to mimic the legend’s footsteps during their own playing careers?

Serena Willams recently appeared as a guest in The Deal with Alex Rodriguez and Jason Kelly. While talking about her shift from tennis to business and entrepreneurship, Williams touched upon her entire mindset during her playing days. They ended up talking about branding and this was where Rodriguez revealed how much he adored Jordan. 

“I won the Gatorade Player of the Year in High School and I was like ‘Oh my God! That’s so cool!’ That’s the first big award that I won nationally,” Rodriguez said. “But for me it was Nike. Nike to me was the ultimate North Star because Michael Jordan wore it, right? And I looked up to Michael and Magic and Bird.” Luckily for A-Rod, he got that Nike deal in 2005.

To this, Williams replied that everyone looked up to Michael. Later she said, “Michael Jordan. I think he really was able to do branding in a different level. And the aplomb that he has walking around it is just second to none.” This interaction once again showed how much respect A-Rod had for Jordan. Interestingly, that respect grew even more later on because of the NBA Legend’s move to baseball.

How Michael Jordan’s baseball stint left Alex Rodriguez mesmerized 

For a brief moment in history, Michael Jordan was a Double-A Baseball player. The fact that he directly jumped to Double-A at the age of 30 was incredible in itself. But then the superstar ended up having a 13-game hitting streak in his very first month. That was something that awed Alex Rodriguez. He said as much during an interview with Sports Illustrated.

“I thought that what he tried to do in baseball is one of the greatest accomplishments in his career,” Alex Rodriguez said about Michael Jordan. “He’s getting on a bus and playing Double-A. That’s one of the hardest leagues to play in because that’s where all the great pitching goes, the fire ballers throwing north of 95 miles an hour.” 

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But as A-Rod noted, Jordan had an unfair expectation put on him due to being Michael Jordan. Still, that brief 127-game stint added to the allure and glory of Jordan. It was something that built his brand. More importantly, it was something that made Rodriguez an even bigger admirer of the superstar.