Kevin Durant has had one of the longest-lasting signature shoe runs in history, with Nike having released 17 of them by now. At a recent sneaker event, which also featured A’ja Wilson and Jayson Tatum, Durant was asked about the pressure that comes with having a signature shoe and stated that everyone is trying to match the standard set by Michael Jordan.
“I think it’s the pressure that Michael Jordan has put on us basketball players from having such an incredible business over time, that that’s a standard that he set for us a long time ago,” Durant said. “So yeah, I’m trying to live up to it.
“It’s a lot of people in the word, it’s a lot of competitors,” Durant continued. “So, when you walk into a footlocker or whatever your shoe store is, you competing with other brands. Even sometimes with your Nike mates as well.
“So, it’s just all about telling those authentic stories and being yourself and actually producing on the basketball court in those moments,” Durant added. “Like JT winning the chip, like A’ja winning MVP, winning the chip and Olympics. All that stuff matters when it comes to your business, so yeah you want to be on point every day you wake up.”
Jordan is indeed the standard and I doubt anyone is ever going to match him. He revolutionized the sneaker industry and paved the way for the likes of Durant, who signed a lifetime deal with Nike in 2023, to make millions from it.
Jordan signed with Nike in 1984 and the Air Jordan sneaker line was officially launched in 1985. It proved to be far more successful than anyone could have imagined. The brand had reportedly hoped to earn $3 million in the first three years but ended up making $126 million in the first year itself. The Air Jordans were a massive hit and they are yet to go out of fashion.
In September 1997, it was announced that Brand Jordan, later known as Jordan Brand, was being launched under the Nike umbrella. Much like with the Air Jordan line, I doubt anyone could have foreseen just how successful this was going to be.
Last year, the Jordan Brand was the second most popular sneaker brand in the world, only behind Nike, which had an 18% share. Jordan Brand was at 11%, even ahead of a sneaker giant like Adidas, which had a 9% share.
Jordan has unsurprisingly been minting money thanks to the popularity of the brand. As per the contract with Nike, the 61-year-old gets paid a 5% royalty on all sales made on his line. Boardroom reported in 2023 that Jordan earned $6 million from Nike every 8.6 days and that number has probably gone up now.
This partnership has proven to be one of the most successful ones in history and its trajectory remains upward. When Nike released its fiscal year-end results in June, it was revealed that the Jordan Brand was the division that had seen the most revenue growth. It had gone up by 6%, netting Nike nearly $7 billion. It still boggles the mind just how big of a hit it has become.
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