The 90s was arguably the Michael Jordan era. At the time, the NBA legend was constantly in high demand. Every major company wanted Jordan to endorse their products. This was because the overarching influence MJ’s brand commanded over fans throughout the nation and beyond. While apparels were one thing, there were certain products that didn’t appeal to the Chicago Bulls legend and he preferred not to promote them.

When you have a vast fandom, you pretty much influence their lives in one way or the other. When the Air Jordans were first launched, neither Nike nor MJ anticipated the success it brought. As MJ’s on-court skills progressed, his fan following increased. By the time His Airness won his first-ever NBA championship, he had already become a global icon.

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With the Bulls superstar’s immense success came several endorsement deal offers. Suddenly Jordan’s face was in every billboard endorsing major brands. By 1993, MJ was earning about $50 million just from his off-court ventures. However, there were few products that Jordan preferred not to promote.

Michael Jordan didn’t like endorsing certain products

In 1993, Michael Jordan sat for an interview with Australian journalist Bruce McAvaney where he opened up about certain things. It was also the year when the Chicago Bulls won their first championship three-peat. That same year, Forbes had listed His Airness as the highest-paid athlete at that time. MJ explained that while it was a privilege to be included in the list, it was also a huge responsibility. McAvaney then asked if he was ever asked to endorse products that he didn’t particularly prefer.

“Yeah, beer commercials. Uh…different type of food products that I don’t really eat and I didn’t wanna endorse. Just to name a few,” MJ told McAvaney.

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Jordan made it clear that he didn’t like doing alcohol commercials. However, the Bulls legend did have a different habit that could be considered harmful.

Michael Jordan used to smoke before Bulls games

Michael Jordan’s love for cigars is widely known. In fact, the six-time NBA champion had previously appeared twice on the covers of Cigar Aficionado. The editor-in-chief of the magazine, Marvin Shanken had interviewed the NBA legend both times while enjoying a number of cigars together.

During an interview with GQ’s Sam Schube, Shanken spilled the beans on MJ’s cigar habits. He revealed that Jordan would always smoke a cigar an hour before every Chicago Bulls home game. It reportedly help him relax and prepare him for the game.

“I’m gonna credit the cigar! Michael will laugh if he hears it, but I’m gonna say he never would have made those shots, at home anyway, had it not been for the cigar that relaxed him before the game,” Shanken told GQ.

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What do you think of MJ refusing to promote alcohol? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!