As one of the greatest and most popular players in basketball history, it’s only natural that Michael Jordan excels in ventures off the floor.
Even over a decade after his retirement, his brand is doing well — earning worldwide fame and millions of dollars in revenue. In a story told by 10x All-Star Carmelo Anthony, he explains how the ultra-popular brand chose him over LeBron, Wade, and Bosh.
“People don’t know my first year I was signed to Nike. Right? I didn’t have a signature shoe because the brand at that point in time I was the first signature athlete.
“I remember there wasn’t a plan at that point in time. But LeBron was at Nike, and MJ stepped up and said, ‘Look, I’ll pay half, Nike pay half. Look, I’ll take Melo, y’all got LeBron, Converse got D-Wade and Bosh.’
“My first sneaker I ever played in with Jordan was a 16.5 or some sh– like that. And I remember … in preseason, the sneaker came off … I’m not playing in another retro again.”
"MJ stepped up and said … I'll take Melo, y'all got LeBron."
Hear the story of how MJ chose @carmeloanthony to be the first @Jumpman23 signature athlete on a new #WRTS After Party.
Watch 📺: https://t.co/mN6KTKxM9b
Listen 🎧: https://t.co/OEA3RgWAqd pic.twitter.com/pziDOlIgfi
— UNINTERRUPTED (@uninterrupted) May 5, 2020
Carmelo may not be as good as Bron, but he’s still an exceptional talent. Over the course of his 16-year career, he’s averaging 23.6 points per game on 44.8% shooting. At the time he signed that deal, he was lighting it up for the Denver Nuggets. To this day, he’s recognized as one of the best isolation scorers in history.
Clearly, the GOAT has a lot of respect for him.
