Michael Jordan, One of the Greatest to Play in the NBA, Was Once Threatened a $5,000 Fine for Unthinkable Reason

Published 07/25/2022, 3:30 PM EDT

NBA legend Michael Jordan is one of the best players the league has ever seen. A lot of fans around the world consider him the Greatest Player of All-Time. Some even consider him to be the greatest athlete ever. Jordan was one of the most influential players and helped popularise the game around the world. But Jordan only made around $94 million in his entire career as a salary. However, the Bulls legend made his fortune from a variety of endorsements. And his iconic partnership with Nike is one of the most important.

The Air Jordan brand would change the sneaker industry forever and gave the fans some of the most iconic sneakers ever. Nike’s partnership with Michael Jordan has been fruitful for both parties over the years. The Jordan brand reportedly crossed $5 billion in annual revenue for the first time. And Jordan earned $150M+ from Nike last year alone as per reports.

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However, the NBA was not a huge fan of the Air Jordans in the beginning. At the time, most players wore either white or black sneakers on the court. And the red and black colorways of the Air Jordan 1s are met with scrutiny. As per various reports, the NBA banned Michael Jordan from wearing the shoes on the court and threatened to fine him $5000 every time he wore them.

Michael Jordan and Nike

There were also reports that suggest that Nike was ready to cover MJ‘s fines. However, the brand used this sour experience to its advantage. Nike started advertising the sneakers as ‘Banned’ and the sales exploded. Nike initially hoped that it would sell at least $3 million worth of shoes within the first 4 years. However, they sold $126 million worth of shoes in just one year.

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The popularity of the sneaker brand grew along with the stardom of Michael Jordan. Air Jordan released multiple models over the years. And the Bulls superstar flaunted them on and off the court. The Air Jordan brand has 32 versions of the sneaker. And many of the models are re-released multiple times.

The sneakers sell out almost instantly and the sneakerheads are always on the lookout to buy them from other collectors. Now Air Jordan has contracts with 21 NBA players as brand ambassadors. It also includes other athletes from Football, NASCAR, Baseball, and Soccer.

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What is your favorite Air Jordan sneaker? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by:

Bagavathi Eswaran is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. He has been playing the game of basketball for more than 20 years now and has also been following the NBA for more than 10 years. After not being able to go pro, this former college player decided to join the IT industry.

Michael Jordan, One of the Greatest to Play in the NBA, Was Once Threatened a $5,000 Fine for Unthinkable Reason

Michael Jordan and Nike

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