The greatest pioneer of the basketball world, Michael Jordan, is the epitome of success, on and off-court. ‘His Airness’ made smart endorsement decisions off-court and commandeered the Chicago Bulls to two three-peats in the 1990s. However, his grand accomplishments have been a point of speculation across several communities. American activist Elaine Brown once illustrated an intimidating point over the NBA icon receiving the famed Nike contract worth millions. 

This 1993 interview recently resurfaced on the internet and gathered support from the track star Sha’Carri Richardson. Her latest Instagram story depicted her viewpoint, which aligned with that of the activist. 

Sha’Carri denounces Michael Jordan for his pseudo attempt at addressing issues of the African Americans 

The 22-year-old icon shared a snippet of the old interview on her social media, originally posted by Voices of the Ancestors. She added a perceptive note to it, speaking in support of the concerns hinted at by Brown. This note, which was directed at the six-time NBA champion, read, “Having money and fame doesn’t make you a leader.” The 80-year-old activist had apparently addressed the issues of the African-American community in the U.S., during a roundtable discussion held in 1993. The discussion shed light on Jordan’s 1984 Nike contract. 

Speaking of Black Power, Brown indicated that Jordan signing the $2.5 million deal with the footwear giant wasn’t a contribution to the community. In fact, it was a matter of sole business. “I’m not impressed by Michael Jordan getting a Nike contract. I don’t think that has anything to do with the masses of our people today or yesterday,” the political figure stated. 

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Furthermore, the former Black Panther Party chairwoman elucidated that “mobilizations” and “organizations” influenced the million-dollar deal. “Not because he plays basketball. We can’t deal with stars or movie stars or events,” she added. The caption of the post emphasized the message, stating, “Stop looking at Progress through the eyes of entertainers and athletes…” 

How did Michael Jordan end up signing the Nike contract?

Ironically, after MJ’s illustrious rookie year in 1984, Nike reached out to him to sign the five-year deal. However, ‘His Airness’ showed little interest since he was set on signing with Converse. As the latter was unable to comply with the athlete’s demands, Jordan’s agent, David Falk, persuaded him to sign the deal with Nike and also chipped in the ‘Jordan’ label for the brand. The rest is history, as you know it. 

Falk once spoke on the matter, saying, “The irony of the Air Jordan deal, it’s probably the best deal I’ve ever made and it’s probably the worst deal I’ve ever made because no one had a clue—including Nike—that you could sell $100 million worth of shoes for a rookie in his first year,” 

The immense success behind the Phil Knight-led company ought to be credited to the NBA legend’s advertisement. As recorded in 2022, the Jordan line itself amassed a $5.1 billion capital inflow, with a gross payout of $256.1 million to the athlete.

What is your view of the deal? Let us know in the comments. 

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