Michael Jordan 's former agent David Falk said he had to convince Jordan to take a meeting withNike in 1984 because Jordan wanted to sign with Adidas.- At the meeting, Jordan didn't show a hint of emotion, and Falk was worried Jordan was going to fire him because he looked miserable.
- After the presentation and a dinner out, Jordan revealed to Falk that he loved Nike's presentation and wanted to sign with them, blowing him away, who was impressed by Jordan's poker face.
- Jordan's signature shoe and clothing line became an instant success, helping to make Nike a powerhouse in the
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Michael Jordan helped turn Nike into an NBA powerhouse and global brand, but he initially did not want to sign with the company primarily known for track shoes in 1984.
As documented in ESPN's "The Last Dance," when Jordan was entering the NBA, Converse ruled basketball and the league. Adidas was a distant second, and Jordan wanted to sign with Adidas.
However, with the encouragement of his mother, Deloris, Jordan took a meeting with Nike and eventually signed there, creating the iconic Air Jordan brand.
Jordan's former agent, David Falk, was on Andrew Brandt's "Business of Sports" podcast and said that he wanted Jordan to take meetings with several companies, but Jordan was reluctant.
"I told Michael we were going to visit all of the companies," Falk said. "It was like college recruiting. We're going to pick six or seven companies. We're going to go visit them all, see what they can offer you, not so much financially, but emotionally.
"He was like, 'David, I'm gonna be honest with you: It's been a long season at Carolina. Then I had to play in the Olympics for Coach Knight. It was grueling and demanding. I'm really tired. I have zero interest in going to see Nike.' Zero. Not like 10% might have an interest."
Falk said he approached Jordan's parents, and Deloris reassured him Jordan would visit Nike.
"His mom winked at me, Deloris, wonderful human being, and said, 'David, don't worry ... He'll be on the plane.'"
When they got to Nike, things didn't go particularly smoothly. Falk said Nike had prepared a video of Jordan's college and Olympic highlights, set to music. However, the video wouldn't play in the VCR, and Rob Strasser, then a Nike executive, began sweating profusely. Additionally, another executive ran late to the meeting.
Eventually, the tape played, and the pitch got underway. Nike presented a line of clothing — shoes, shirts, and hats — for Jordan's custom line. Falk said they had even done their homework, playing to Jordan's love of cars, presenting model cars."It was really, really impressive," Falk said. "Jordan does not crack a smile. He looks like he's about to cry. He looks like he's about to scream. He's angry. I'm dying because I know he's hating this, and he's gonna fire me when this is over."
Falk said after the presentation, Nike took them out to dinner at a nice restaurant in Portland Falk said Jordan barely said a word the entire time.
After the dinner was over, Falk asked Jordan what he thought.
"He looks at me and says, 'Amazing. I don't wanna go anywhere else.'
"You could have blown me away. I realized, 'Gosh, this 21-year-old guy is really smart, and he's an amazing poker player.' He didn't reveal a single emotion when they showed him his own shoes, his own clothes, highlights. The guy was standing there completely poker-faced. And that's how the Nike relationship got started."
Falk also said that in a meeting later in the summer, he came up with the "Air Jordan" name on the spot, after Strasser refused to help with ideas because the signature shoe was Falk's idea, and Jordan hadn't yet played an NBA game.
Of course, Jordan himself and the brand went on to become an immediate success.
"Nike's expectation was at the end of year four they hoped to sell $3 million of Air Jordans," Falk said in "The Last Dance." "In year one, we sold $126 million."
Listen to the entire podcast here >
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