Where would MJ be without Nike ?

[OMG]

A Majority of people would say Jordan in the GOAT , I would agree with this , but there are a few people who think differently .

I've read many articles and watched youtube videos of people who disagree with Jordan being the GOAT and they provide info/details/ and other points to try and prove their claim.

Here's something I got from an article ..


Nike and Gatorade have both played a major role in cementing Jordan’s legacy, as the companies have spent untold advertising dollars on making the Jordan brand incredibly successful. The advertising campaigns were ubiquitous then and remain memorable today, as Gatorade even revived its famous “Be Like Mike” commercial during the most recent Super Bowl. Nike’s “It’s Gotta Be the Shoes” commercials that featured Spike Lee also played a role in Jordan’s larger-than-life media presence, and this has undoubtedly helped sway people into believing that Jordan was the NBA’s greatest player.


I feel many people who dont even watch basketball has heard about Jordan shoes at some point , many sneakerheads may not watch or follow basketball but they definitely know about Jordan shoes.

I really feel like all these advertising/commercials has put Jordan at the Top spot wayy ahead of anyone else.

Recently I watched a few Sneakerhead videos , read up about the shoe game and its amazing to see what Nike has created with the Jordan shoes. Most players shoes are cool to wear for a few months or years but it seems like the Jordan shoes are Legendary and its a status symbol . People pay thousands and thousands of dollars on Jordan shoes , they line up for weeks in the cold outside footlocker just to be first in line .
Many celebrities who show off their shoe collection will have many pairs of Jordans.

Im really amazed at what Nike has created with the Jordan line , what they did was simply incredible , where average people who dont even follow basketball will know what the Jordan shoe is and they would probably think that MJ is the GOAT . I just wonder where Wilt or Magic would of been if they had Nike on their side . Greats like Bird,Magic and Dr.J were signed to converse , at that time they were the hottest sneakers on the market but I do not see anyone wearing those shoes nowadays.


Really wanted to hear your opinions on this topic

Where do you see MJ Without Nike ? say he signed with Converse like All the other players .

Do you think that Nike made MJ the GOAT head and shoulders above everyone else ?

The top NBA lists look something like this

1.MJ
-
-
-
2.Magic
3.Wilt
4.Kareem

It seems like there is no debate , simply MJ is the Greatest , no questions asked . If Jordan did not have Nike , would the gap between MJ and Wilt/Magic/Bird be more narrowed ?

Alot of guys on this forum are more knowledgeable then me on Basketball so I would really like to hear your opinions on this

[Bruvydsb]

Maybe the other way around?

Perhaps Jordan made Nike.

[Corky]

I still think Jordan would be the greatest but he just wouldn't have been so much more visible to people outside of basketball fans.

[exoticprince]

Yea I kinda think the same, where would Nike be without MJ ? He made them the undisputed basketball leader. Lebron and others may not have followed. If it wasn't Nike then it woulda been a different company that signed MJ.

Maybe the other way around?

Perhaps Jordan made Nike.

[crm44]

Maybe the other way around?

Perhaps Jordan made Nike.

+1...........

[drobfan8]

He would be lying in the gutter in the foetal position, not knowing what to do with his life.

Was he even really good at basketball without those magic Nike shoes? I don't think so...

[Jedi1823]

Yea I kinda think the same, where would Nike be without MJ ? He made them the undisputed basketball leader. Lebron and others may not have followed. If it wasn't Nike then it woulda been a different company that signed MJ.

Adidas would have come to their senses and given Jordan a deal.

[Italy61587]

Maybe the other way around?

Perhaps Jordan made Nike.

I thought this immediately

[hermanotarjeta]

I agree with the others, this article/hypothesis is completely bunk.

The question should be "where would ballpark franks and Hanes be without Jordan?"

Those companies, including Nike, used Jordan to bring their products to a new level.

Nike never did anything for any athlete until Jordan legitimized the product.

Under armour has done nothing for Stephen currys career.

Adidas never did anything for grandmama.

If anything, Nike destroyed tiger woods career and has thrown Rory mcilroy off the side of the road.

The athlete/personality makes the product, not vice-versa.

If Jordan had signed with British knights back then, that shoe company would be dominating the world now.

[CubKings]

I agree with the others, this article/hypothesis is completely bunk.

The question should be "where would ballpark franks and Hanes be without Jordan?"

Those companies, including Nike, used Jordan to bring their products to a new level.

Nike never did anything for any athlete until Jordan legitimized the product.

Under armour has done nothing for Stephen currys career.

Adidas never did anything for grandmama.

If anything, Nike destroyed tiger woods career and has thrown Rory mcilroy off the side of the road.

The athlete/personality makes the product, not vice-versa.

If Jordan had signed with British knights back then, that shoe company would be dominating the world now.
Haha BK. I remember rocking the Derrick Coleman BK Dymacels. I even still have the keychain that came on them.

[ninjacookies]

Maybe the other way around?

Perhaps Jordan made Nike.

This.

Nike was a sinking ship before they signed Jordan. He was the single driving force behind them becoming what they are now. Definitely not the other way around.

Had Jordan signed with Adidas, Nike may not be in business today.

[codered]

Actually where would Nike and more importantly the jordan brand be without tinker hatfield? No tink = no jordan brand

Jordan's shoes only keep him relevant, he would have been the greatest if he wore adidas (which was the brand he wanted), converse, pony or reebok

[duwal]

Maybe the other way around?

Perhaps Jordan made Nike.


Exactly, people back then throughout the decades up to current time don't buy his Nike's because they are the ultimate brand of performance shoe. They buy them (and collect them) because it is his image on the shoe.

Jordan originally actually wanted to sign with Adidas. He's said many times that when playing basketball growing up he was wearing Adidas and in college he was wearing Converse. He never owned a pair of Nike shoes until after he signed the contract with them.

[ninjacookies]

Actually where would Nike and more importantly the jordan brand be without tinker hatfield? No tink = no jordan brand

Jordan's shoes only keep him relevant, he would have been the greatest if he wore adidas (which was the brand he wanted), converse, pony or reebok

Tinker definitely is a design genius, particularly in the earlier model releases (IMO).

However, what modern fashion has taught me is that people will gladly dish $200 for a trash bag with a Fendi label on it. It's really all about the branding on the item.

[codered]

I agree with the others, this article/hypothesis is completely bunk.

The question should be "where would ballpark franks and Hanes be without Jordan?"

Those companies, including Nike, used Jordan to bring their products to a new level.

Nike never did anything for any athlete until Jordan legitimized the product.

Under armour has done nothing for Stephen currys career.

Adidas never did anything for grandmama.

If anything, Nike destroyed tiger woods career and has thrown Rory mcilroy off the side of the road.

The athlete/personality makes the product, not vice-versa.

If Jordan had signed with British knights back then, that shoe company would be dominating the world now.

You mean converse......LJ never rocked reebok

Jordan didn't really do that much for Nike with his first two shoes, it wasn't until the 3's that the jordan signature shoe took off. Jordan was think of leaving until tinker came along and changed the jordan line forever. The 3's-14's (shoes that he wore playing for the bulls) were all designed by tink. Jordan's play and his larger than life superstardom helped push the shoes but the designs were just as important. There is a reason Shaq doesn't have a huge following for his shoes, they were ugly for the most part (minus the Shaq attaq 1's, the 4's are okay and the shaqnosis)

Sorry I should add that the 3's-14's are generally considered the classics. Tinker designed the 15, came back for the 20 (which were okay), the 23's, the 2010's (very weak by tinkers standards) and the 30's

[codered]

Tinker definitely is a design genius, particularly in the earlier model releases (IMO).

However, what modern fashion has taught me is that people will gladly dish $200 for a trash bag with a Fendi label on it. It's really all about the branding on the item.

This is true. The only thing I would add is the brand needs to be established first and then people will pay for it. I would still say that tinker is just as important as MJ to the early establishment of Nike and the Jordan brand. I don't think people would care as much for retroed "jordan converse weapons" or "jordan adidas superstars). But now people will pay for anything Nike/jordan puts out

[ninjacookies]

This is true. The only thing I would add is the brand needs to be established first and then people will pay for it. I would still say that tinker is just as important as MJ to the early establishment of Nike and the Jordan brand. I don't think people would care as much for retroed "jordan converse weapons" or "jordan adidas superstars). But now people will pay for anything Nike/jordan puts out

For sure. I agree with you.

[ninjacookies]

You mean converse......LJ never rocked reebok

Jordan didn't really do that much for Nike with his first two shoes, it wasn't until the 3's that the jordan signature shoe took off. Jordan was think of leaving until tinker came along and changed the jordan line forever. The 3's-14's (shoes that he wore playing for the bulls) were all designed by tink. Jordan's play and his larger than life superstardom helped push the shoes but the designs were just as important. There is a reason Shaq doesn't have a huge following for his shoes, they were ugly for the most part (minus the Shaq attaq 1's, the 4's are okay and the shaqnosis)

To me, the Jordan iv's will forever be the ones that really brought me into the brand. Such an iconic and beyond-its-time design, with the air bubble and mesh insert. I still get giddy like a schoolgirl til this day when I cop a pair of retro iv's (it's just a shame retro quality has become increasingly unbearable over the years). Just a beautiful shoe to look at, on or off the foot.

[MJGOAT23]

Maybe the other way around?

Perhaps Jordan made Nike.



Ditto x100000000000000

People that write anti-Jordan articles are just click baiting


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[imbluestreak23]

As I get older, I totally understand how interpretations of events that take place today will be perceived completely differently 20-30-50years from now.

Such a shame that a millennial came up with such an article without likely having ever watched MJ play.

[hermanotarjeta]

You mean converse......LJ never rocked reebok

Jordan didn't really do that much for Nike with his first two shoes, it wasn't until the 3's that the jordan signature shoe took off. Jordan was think of leaving until tinker came along and changed the jordan line forever. The 3's-14's (shoes that he wore playing for the bulls) were all designed by tink. Jordan's play and his larger than life superstardom helped push the shoes but the designs were just as important. There is a reason Shaq doesn't have a huge following for his shoes, they were ugly for the most part (minus the Shaq attaq 1's, the 4's are okay and the shaqnosis)

Sorry I should add that the 3's-14's are generally considered the classics. Tinker designed the 15, came back for the 20 (which were okay), the 23's, the 2010's (very weak by tinkers standards) and the 30's


Haha, my bad.

[CastleBeachCards]

Thought Adidas were in negotiations with Jordan first, but Nike won him over and he ultimatley went with Nike. Adidas would have come to their senses and given Jordan a deal.

[duron]

Immediate thought was that OP misworded the title.

Guess not, lolz.

[OMG]

Maybe the other way around?

Perhaps Jordan made Nike.

Nike & MJ made the perfect package together , obviously both benefited from each other , I just wanted to know where would Jordan be without Nike , without the hundreds of millions of dollars on advertising Nike did ... obviously Nike would not exist without Jordan .

I agree with the others, this article/hypothesis is completely bunk.

The question should be "where would ballpark franks and Hanes be without Jordan?"

Those companies, including Nike, used Jordan to bring their products to a new level.

Nike never did anything for any athlete until Jordan legitimized the product.

Under armour has done nothing for Stephen currys career.

Adidas never did anything for grandmama.

If anything, Nike destroyed tiger woods career and has thrown Rory mcilroy off the side of the road.

The athlete/personality makes the product, not vice-versa.

If Jordan had signed with British knights back then, that shoe company would be dominating the world now.

You do bring up some good points and I agree with you .
I had to google British Knights because I never heard of them lol , I saw some Derrick Coleman shoes , not gona lie they look pretty good , very similar to the Larry Johnson converse shoe . But ye if British Knights signed Jordan first then everyone would be wearing them now , instead they signed Derrick Coleman .


As I get older, I totally understand how interpretations of events that take place today will be perceived completely differently 20-30-50years from now.

Such a shame that a millennial came up with such an article without likely having ever watched MJ play.

Immediate thought was that OP misworded the title.

Guess not, lolz.

Obviously I know Jordan is the greatest player in the NBA , I was just curious how everyone would view him minis Nike backing him up , I think he still would be the greatest but just wouldnt been a world wide celebrity . I dont think any shoe company invested hundreds of millions of dollars for advertising 1 player .

Also Im not sure if your calling me a millennial or the writer of that article where I got the quote from , but do not call me a millennial , Im 25 and Im extremely embarrassed how these young people act nowadays , everything offends them , they cannot read a book without getting triggered . I have the same mindset as you 40 year olds :)! :rolleyes:

[OMG]

You mean converse......LJ never rocked reebok

Jordan didn't really do that much for Nike with his first two shoes, it wasn't until the 3's that the jordan signature shoe took off. Jordan was think of leaving until tinker came along and changed the jordan line forever. The 3's-14's (shoes that he wore playing for the bulls) were all designed by tink. Jordan's play and his larger than life superstardom helped push the shoes but the designs were just as important. There is a reason Shaq doesn't have a huge following for his shoes, they were ugly for the most part (minus the Shaq attaq 1's, the 4's are okay and the shaqnosis)

Sorry I should add that the 3's-14's are generally considered the classics. Tinker designed the 15, came back for the 20 (which were okay), the 23's, the 2010's (very weak by tinkers standards) and the 30's

Thanks for posting , first time I hear of this Tinker guy .
Shaq shoes were ugly , Larry Johnson shoes seemed a bit bulky , Lebron shoes looked like astronaut shoes .
Even thou Jordan is the Greatest , if Nike Jordan were ugly bulky shoes I doubt anyone would wear them , so the product has to be good.

Btw , 7 & 8 are my all time favorites , the design is simply amazing .
But I must say , after the 23 shoes everything was weak

[Doublexthebeast]

Jordan would only be filthy rich instead of wealthy without Nike. Nothing else would be different.

[OMG]

Actually where would Nike and more importantly the jordan brand be without tinker hatfield? No tink = no jordan brand

Jordan's shoes only keep him relevant, he would have been the greatest if he wore adidas (which was the brand he wanted), converse, pony or reebok

They definitely still keep him relevant , even soo many years after he retired , I heard his line in Nike is still the top seller compared to Lebron ,KD and others.

I feel like Nike got it right , they brought in the right people and had a good game plan , marketing Jordan , Nike opening up Basketball camps for high schoolers/college players and getting the Jordan name out there .

I feel if Adidas,converse or Pony landed Jordan it wouldnt be as successful .

[ninjacookies]

Ask yourself this:

How well known is Babe Ruth nearly 100 years after he played without a single lucrative endorsement.

Greatness will always be greatness. Nike was a great pressing point, but Jordan would have the accomplishments and nostalgia regardless of any of that.

He's possibly the most complete and gifted player of all time whose game had zero holes.

[Archangel1775]

Where would Nike be without Jordan? Jordan would still be great and people would be dying over Reeboks.

[6celtics33]

Well does he still....

Average 30 his whole career?
Average 33.4 in the playoffs?
Win 10 scoring titles and 11 combined regular and finals mvps?
Defensive POY?
6-0 in the finals?
Rookie of the year?
Clutch big time player/ice water in his veins?
Artistic in the air?
Great in game dunker in traffic?
Great trash talker?
Insanely competitive?


Unless Nike was responsible for those things, he'd be right where he is now.

[AbraCalabro]

The top NBA lists look something like this

1.MJ
-
-
-
2.Magic
3.Wilt
4.Kareem

It seems like there is no debate , simply MJ is the Greatest , no questions asked . If Jordan did not have Nike , would the gap between MJ and Wilt/Magic/Bird be more narrowed ?


http://i.imgur.com/DbyxN85.gif



Reality:

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Everyone else.

[8collector34]

He would have been just another cat who could ball.

[bulljh]

My question is, where would MJ be without Scottie? But that's a different topic

[rhigh2390]

My question is, where would MJ be without Scottie? But that's a different topic

Agree that it's a different topic. It's a good question, but I'll always think MJ was more important to Scottie than Scottie was to Mike. I think if you gave Jordan any other all star, Jordan still wins 6 titles. As Max Kellerman said a while back, you give MJ one all-star on his team and he never didn't win the championship. You'll also hear the argument that the Bulls did well in 93-94 without Jordan, but then they forget where they were the following year without him until he came back.

[pennywise]

When Jordan was dominating the league, Nike could have put out clogs with his name on them and people would have worn them. He was that popular. MJ was dunking all over everybody, sinking buzzer beaters, and winning rings. And he looked good doing it. You couldn't ask for a better shoe salesman.

[rats60]

Exactly, people back then throughout the decades up to current time don't buy his Nike's because they are the ultimate brand of performance shoe. They buy them (and collect them) because it is his image on the shoe.

Jordan originally actually wanted to sign with Adidas. He's said many times that when playing basketball growing up he was wearing Adidas and in college he was wearing Converse. He never owned a pair of Nike shoes until after he signed the contract with them.

Jordan wore Adidas because all the kids wore Adidas. Adidas was the king in the 70s-early 80s. Nike got lucky with Jordan. Jordan definitely made Nike.

[codered]

To me, the Jordan iv's will forever be the ones that really brought me into the brand. Such an iconic and beyond-its-time design, with the air bubble and mesh insert. I still get giddy like a schoolgirl til this day when I cop a pair of retro iv's (it's just a shame retro quality has become increasingly unbearable over the years). Just a beautiful shoe to look at, on or off the foot.

IV's are an excellent choice!! The V's are my all time favourite but the VI's really brought me in!!! Game 2 vs. The lakers in the final and jordan was killing it! I had really just started watching bball that season as I was only a causal fan at the point (but I was only 10 years old haha). Jordan was already my favourite player but when he did the switch hands in mid air lay up, with the epic announcing of Marv albert "a spectacular move by Michael Jordan", (damn I got chills) I was dumbfounded haha a new hero was born. The next morning me and my friends spent the day rewinding the tape of the game (without the express written consent of the NBA) and attempting to recreate the move in the back yard. We all talked about how you probably "needed" the jordan shoes to really get the hang time lol. A few days later one of my friends showed up with the Black/Infared VI's and I thought they were the greatest thing I had ever seen. I honesty didn't care about shoes at that point but the visible air in the heel, the two holes in the tongue, the clear sole and the "hidden 23".....man those were amazing. That kid solidified his cool status for the rest of his adolescence lol

[codered]

Jordan wore Adidas because all the kids wore Adidas. Adidas was the king in the 70s-early 80s. Nike got lucky with Jordan. Jordan definitely made Nike.

Adidas was definitely king haha the tracksuits were the shizzz. I defy anyone to find a rap video or a breakdancing video from the late 70's or 80's that doesn't be have an adidas tracksuit or shelltoes lol

Nike did get lucky but they were smart enough to realize that if Jordan became a star he could sell his own shoe (something adidas and converse didn't offer). Remember back in the 80's all the converse guys (magic, bird and dr.j) all wore weapons, they didn't have their own shoe. Dr. j had his own signature shoe at one point in the 70's and Clyde Frazier had his own signature shoe with puma but that was pretty much it. Nike went all in on MJ and it paid off. After the success of the jordan line tons of players started to get their own signature shoe