Michael Jordan is worth $2.1 billion, mostly thanks to his sneaker empire with Nike. Jordan Brand is its own entity and there are plenty of sneakers and apparel pieces in the Jumpman library. For the last 35 years, Jordan's partnership with Nike has brought in billions of dollars worth of profit and it is easily the most lucrative basketball player sneaker deal in NBA history.
While Jordan might be synonymous with Nike, he almost signed somewhere else. This fact is common knowledge for most sneakerheads but not everyone is hip to the fact that Jordan actually preferred Adidas growing up. During "The Last Dance" last night, MJ revealed that he almost didn't even meet with Nike and that he was adamant about signing with the three stripes. Eventually, his mom convinced him to at least listen to Nike and it proved to be one of the best decisions he ever made.
Of course, this didn't exactly work out for Adidas who lost out on billions of dollars due to Michael's decision. Not to mention, Adidas didn't have Air technology as Nike did, so the Air Jordan name would have never come to fruition. Sometimes, the universe works in mysterious ways.
Not to mention, Adidas has Yeezy now which is no slouch when it comes to generating profits.
Is It A Dub For Kylie Jenner’s Adidas Deal?
Checks over stripes? That’s what we like now, Kylie?
It was only a year and a half ago when Kylie Jenner announced her endorsement deal with adidas, but now it’s looking like the partnership may be coming to an end in 2020.
In an exclusive report from Complex, the publication is using Kylie’s most recent IG post (seen above) to kinda-sorta confirm that the young “billionairess” is done with adidas. In the photo, the Keeping Up With The Kardashians star can be seen rocking a pretty ill pair of “What The” Nike SB Dunks. Everyone knows that rocking one brand’s sneakers while being endorsed by another, especially two major competitors like the Swoosh and the Three Stripes, is definitely a faux pas for fashion purposes and business alike. ‘Plex even went the step further as to contact a trusted source, who confirmed that Kylie’s contract with adidas actually did expire on New Year’s Eve (December 31, 2019). This wouldn’t be the first time Ky-Ky switched up her kick game on us, either. Back in 2016, Kylie was a proud promoter of PUMA with campaign ads and even her own collection before jumping ship to join her brother-in-law Kanye West over at adidas. Whether she’ll head back to PUMA or embrace Team Nike is still unclear, but we’re sure someone will swipe her up with the quickness given her lucrative influence on today’s pop culture.
So, is Kylie officially “checks over stripes” now? Time will tell, but reflect back on the good times when she was rocking the adidas Supercourt just a few weeks ago below:
Jimmy Butler Terminates Relationship With Jordan Brand: Details
Butler can wear whatever he wants now.
Jimmy Butler is one of the most charismatic players in the entire NBA. His personality on and off the court is fiery, to say the least. With that being said, he has been a staple of Jordan Brand's lineup over the last few years, even if that hasn't translated into his very own signature shoe. Now that he is playing for the Miami Heat, Butler has superstar potential and he is well aware of the opportunities that come with that.
Butler's contract with Jordan Brand was supposed to end in September of 2020. According to Nick DePaula of ESPN, Butler and Jumpman have mutually decided to end the contract which means the Heat star is now a sneaker free agent. This is huge news for sneaker companies everywhere as it means Butler's talents are up for grabs.
Back in 2015, Butler was being offered a massive contract from Adidas but decided to partner up with Jordan Brand instead. Now that Butler is much more established, it only makes sense that he would play the field and try to go elsewhere. Butler's profile continues to rise and his presence in Miami creates the potential for an increase in visibility.
In his next deal, Butler could even get his own signature shoe although that remains to be seen.
