Michael Jordan now makes more money from off-court business deals than he did in his NBA career. Given this, it’s no surprise that Jordan is getting serious when it comes to sneakers. One of the most successful shoe lines of all time, Nike shoes have become synonymous with not only sneaker culture, but Jordan himself.
Many NBA fans were able to watch Jordan play in the 1980s and 1990s, when he won six championships and two Olympic medals. Despite this, many fans never had the opportunity to watch him play on television or in person.
As such, much of Jordan’s legacy to the current generation comes from highlights and his Air Jordan shoes. Speaking on the “All The Smoke” podcast, boxer Andre Ward said Jordan took his sneakers as seriously as he took the game of basketball.
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To illustrate this point, Ward recalled a meeting he and his team had with Michael Jordan’s team. Even though the meeting was in a boardroom, Jordan made sure to scan the room to see what shoes everyone was wearing. Although Ward was wearing a pair of Air Jordans, one of his friends was not.
“But how cold Mike is… he comes in and scans the shoes… they take people away from that industry, oh, this is serious,” Ward said. “So, I come in. ‘What’s up, Mike?’ … (Jordan:) “How’s your man? ” I said, ‘What do you mean?
“I said, ‘Man, I told you, don’t wear them.’ … (Jordan:) ‘He’s not right. He’s not cut out for that.'”
Michael Jordan once almost asked someone to take off their shoes
Michael Jordan “almost” asked his friend to take off his Adidas shoes during a board meeting, as Andre Ward said. While some members of the NBA community believe Jordan may have overreacted, this isn’t the first time the Hall of Famer has come close to having someone take off their shoes.
The story goes that when Chauncey Billups was a rookie, he and the Boston Celtics faced the Chicago Bulls on opening night. In an interview with ESPN, he recalled what it was like during the 1997-98 season when Greg Minor was tasked with guarding Jordan.
As expected, Jordan had a great game and he and Minor got into a bit of an argument that led to Jordan going to the free throw line. As MJ walked to the charity stripe, he glanced back and took aim at Minogue wearing Air Jordans.
“He looked at Greg and said, ‘I should let you take off my shoes,'” Billups said. “I looked down and he had Jordans on.” “
Although Jordan’s playing career has ended, the fiery competitive spirit that left a deep impression on many fans seems to still be alive in this NBA legend.