Which basketball player signed with Nike in 1984, leading to the Air Jordan brand?

Michael Jordan signed with Nike in 1984, leading to the Air Jordan brand.

Jordan entered the NBA in 1984 as the Chicago Bulls’ third overall draft pick. During his rookie year, he considered offers from major athletic companies including Adidas, Converse, and Nike. Nike’s presentation emphasized his spectacular dunking and proposed giving him a signature shoe line rather than simply placing him in an existing model.

On October 26, 1984, Jordan signed a six-year Nike deal reported at $2.5 million, with royalties tied to sales. Nike initially expected the shoe line to generate about $3 million over its first three years. Instead, Air Jordan sales greatly exceeded expectations, helping turn a basketball endorsement into a major standalone brand.

The first Air Jordan was produced for Jordan in November 1984 and released publicly on April 1, 1985. Its red-and-black styling became famous partly because NBA uniform rules triggered fines over the shoes’ lack of white. A frequent mix-up is crediting another Nike basketball star, such as Kobe Bryant or LeBron James; both later had Nike signature lines, but Jordan launched this brand.