His partnership with Nike almost never happened
Jordan’s longtime professional association with Nike nearly didn’t come to fruition. He initially wanted to wear Adidas after entering the NBA, and was also heavily pursued to endorse a much smaller brand called Spot-Bilt. But Nike threw out the full-court press to sign the Chicago Bulls rookie, offering a then-outrageous deal of $500 grand per year for five years and the chance to tailor a sneaker to his liking.
Jordan still wanted to go with his original choice and went back to Adidas one more time, but the company was in no position to match the ransom offered by Nike. Thus was born a collaboration made in marketing heaven; Nike launched the Air Jordans in May 1985, and by the end of the year the line had generated more than $100 million in revenue.
