Michael Jordan wanted a shoe deal with Adidas so badly that he went back to the company before signing with Nike to see if it could match the deal
- "The Last Dance" director Jason Hehir told Insider an element of the Jordan/Nike shoe deal that he couldn't fit in the docuseries.
- Hehir said Jordan wanted to sign with Adidas so badly that he personally called the shoe company to see if it could match Nike's deal.
- Adidas couldn't and the rest is history. According to Forbes, Jordan has made over $1 billion since the Air Jordan shoe line launched in 1984.
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In episode 5 of ESPN's popular docuseries "The Last Dance," the legend of the shoe deal Michael Jordan signed with Nike is examined. And looking back, director Jason Hehir still can't believe one aspect of it is accurate: Jordan really loved wearing Adidas shoes.
"Jordan's laughing when he says that in the show because he knows how preposterous that sounds now," Hehir told Insider. "He is literally the emblem for Nike. If there's a human swoosh, it's him."
But that's not how it was back in the 1980s. As archival footage in "The Last Dance" shows, Jordan is interviewed in his dorm room at the University of North Carolina saying how he likes to wear Adidas and is even seen wearing a pair of them during a UNC practice (though the team had a shoe deal with Converse).
When Jordan entered the NBA in 1984, he made the rounds to all the shoe companies, but he was still loyal to Adidas.
As the docuseries highlights, it was finally the urging of Jordan's parents to take a meeting with Nike that finally led to one of the most historic business transactions to take place. However, even in the 11th hour of the deal being signed, Jordan wanted to be with Adidas.
Hehir said he couldn't get it into the docuseries, but Jordan revealed to the director that he gave Adidas one more chance before signing on the dotted line with Nike.
"He himself went back to Adidas after he got the offer from Nike and said, 'Are you sure?'" Hehir said. "Because if they would match the deal he was going to go with them. He really wanted to go with Adidas."
But despite Jordan's urging, Adidas couldn't pull the trigger and the rest is history as Nike's Air Jordan sneaker line was born.
As Jordan's agent David Falk said in the episode, Nike hoped by year four the Air Jordan line could earn the company $3 million. In the first year, Air Jordans made an astounding $126 million.
And Jordan has become extraordinarily wealthy in the process. Forbes reports that he has earned an estimated $1.3 billion from Nike since signing the deal in 1984.
"The Last Dance" airs Sunday nights at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Read more about "The Last Dance:"
- Where Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman's interviews were filmed in "The Last Dance"
- How "The Last Dance" got Michael Jordan to open up about his life and career like never before
- Director of "The Last Dance" says he had to "word hard" to get insight from Kobe Bryant about Michael Jordan
- Michael Jordan said he would only appear in "The Last Dance" if he always had the final word