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Days After #1 Draft Pick, Michael Jordan’s Brand Recruits Yet Another NBA Star in Elusive Deal

Published 10/27/2022, 11:00 AM EDT

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Nike undoubtedly hit the jackpot when they first recruited NBA legend Michael Jordan. MJ signed his first sneaker contract in 1984 when he was still a rookie. It was a huge gamble for Nike as they had put all their money into the 21-year-old Chicago Bulls player. Moreover, back in the 80s, Nike was not a big name compared to Adidas or Converse and everyone had anticipated Jordan to sign with Adidas. However, MJ decided to sign with Nike and the rest is history. After immense success, the company launched the Jordan Brand in 1997 in partnership with MJ.

Today, Nike is worth over $100 billion and has signed several big names over the past two decades. In fact, Nike’s Jordan Brand has recently signed Houston Rockets player Josh Christopher. The Rockets shooting guard entered the league in 2021 as the 24th pick. Since then he has played over 70 games and has scored an average of 7.9 points, 2.0 assists, and 2.5 rebounds during his first season.

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The 20-year-old NBA star stopped by his grandmother’s house and broke the good news. The Rockets player then manually signed the contract, which he had printed out, in his grandmother’s presence. Christopher aims to bring about positive change in the Jordan Brand.

He said, “I think having someone like me on the team might make Jordan want to push the limit a little more.”

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Prior to signing the deal with Christopher, the company had previously entered a contract with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2022 NBA draft.

Michael Jordan Brand signs Paolo Banchero

Earlier, in October 2022, Orlando Magic player Paolo Banchero signed an endorsement deal with the Michael Jordan brand. When you are the top pick of the league, there are a lot of expectations that people have from you. The Magic power forward had offers from brands such as Adidas and Puma as well. However, Banchero decided to instead go forth with Nike.

“The opportunity to be a part of the Jordan family means everything to me. I grew up wearing Jordans, and to now be a part of his brand is really a dream come true,” said Banchero.

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Banchero revealed that Zion Williamson and Jayson Tatum, who are both signed with Jordan, helped him make the decision. The deal between Jordan Brand and Banchero is expected to bring positive changes for both parties.

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WATCH THIS STORY: How Many Kids Does Billionaire Michael Jordan Have? What are They Doing Now? 

Do you think Banchero can bring the same success to Jordan Brand as MJ bought Nike? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

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Written by:

Siyari Debbarma

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Siyari Debbarma is an NBA writer for EssentiallySports. She is currently pursuing a degree in Civil Engineering from Abascus Institute of Engineering and Management. She previously interned at the Y-East Organization as a content writer.
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Edited by:

Veer Badani