Nowadays, getting a signature shoe from a brand is not that uncommon. Since there are a plethora of sneaker brands out there, the top players in the league can easily strike out a deal with them to get their own signature shoes.
But a few decades ago, that wasn’t the case. Only a select few players got the chance to have their own signature shoe, and the Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan was obviously one of them.
The Air Jordans are one of the most iconic shoes in all sports. It’s not a surprise that the Jordan brand recently crossed $5 billion in annual revenue for the first time in its history.
Anyway, coming back to the topic at hand, during the 1990s, Jordan was at his peak. He helped the Bulls win six NBA Championships and was obviously the face of the NBA at the time.
Of course, it resulted in the sales of Air Jordan skyrocketing and making them one of the most desired shoes in the world.
Michael Jordan’s Message To Everyone Who Wears His Shoes
Considering the fact that MJ was essentially building a brand, it’s not a surprise that he was very protective of the image of his brand. As a result, he once revealed his message to everyone wearing his shoes in an interview with SLAM Magazine.
Via SLAM Online:
SLAM: There’s one question I’ve always wanted to ask you…when you see other players wearing Air Jordans—your shoes—what do you say to ’em?
MJ: I tell them, “Don’t embarrass my shoes.”
SLAM: You say that to everybody?
MJ: Everybody that wears ’em.
As expected, Jordan gave an epic response to the interviewer. Speaking of epic responses, MJ once told Kobe Bryant that he could wear his shoes but never fill them. This apparently led to the Mamba not talking to anyone for two weeks.
All things considered, it just shows MJ wants the image of his brand to be spotless and that can only happen when the people who are wearing his shoes do not embarrass themselves in any manner.
