Michael Jordan is without a doubt, the most valuable asset that Nike have available to them as a sports brand. Jordan was represented by Nike for his entire career in the league. And surprisingly, since his retirement, Jordan’s merchandise has only grown in demand and popularity among fans of the NBA. The story of Nike signing Michael Jordan is truly a remarkable one, and it will make it to the big screen very soon.
It was reported recently that actors Matt Damon and Ben Affleck will be writing and starring in a movie that will chronicle the story of Nike was able to pursue and sign Michael Jordan to their brand in the 1980s. There isn’t much information available to the public about the project as things stand, especially when it comes to a name or a release date. But fans of Jordan, and of luxury sports brands as a whole will be excited.
Matt Damon and Ben Affleck to co-write and star in film about Nike’s pursuit of Michael Jordan https://t.co/iQCDOzsIVH pic.twitter.com/kgR06j4uRC
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 20, 2022
The story of Nike signing Michael Jordan has been briefly discussed in the media, especially through the advent of the ‘Last Dance’ docuseries that came out in 2020. Jordan wanted to sign with a more renowned brand, like Adidas or Converse, the latter being the provider of basketball shoes for some of the NBA’s biggest stars such as Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.
Nike at the time was a fairly smaller brand that was known for its running shoes. But they made Jordan an incredible offer and signed him to a contract. Nike had some high expectations of Jordan, putting many conditions on his contract. Jordan, in his rookie year alone, ended up exceeding all those expectations and helped sell many shoes, way more than what Nike expected them to.
Today, Jordan is easily the most popular asset of Nike and has even become its own subsidiary to Nike’s brand. Nike was recently named the most valuable luxury apparel brand, and it was revealed that they invest more money for marketing in Michael Jordan than they do any other athlete, past or present.
