If you belong to the sports community, you must know the iconic Jordan pair for its ‘Jumpman’ logo and splendid feature. Surprisingly, both the symbol and name indicate a famous NBA player, Michael Jordan.
And it creates a huge misconception about their ownership. Did you ever think why the brand Air Jordan sells on the Nike website?
Well, in this article you’ll find the precise answer and the relationship between both Nike and Jordan brands, which I collected to remove my personal curiosity.
Does Nike Own the Jordan Band?
Yes, Nike owns the Jordan brand and there is no confusion behind the statement. Nike and Jordan started their journey together in 1984 when the glorious player Michael Jordan played NBA tournament. Designer Peter More specially designed the shoe for the basketball court.
Jordan is a famous athletic shoe that was named after an all-time renowned and famous basketball player, Michael Jeffrey Jordan.
On top of that, Nike specially designed the first pair of the Jordan line for this player.
After his successful NBA program in 1984, the Air Jordan 1 (Air Jordan Metallic) created a vast craze among the athletes’ community. After that, Michael Jeffrey never wears other sneakers in his long 22 years basketball carrier.
At the same time, the NBA banned Jordan shoes, and also add 5,000 bucks fine for those who wear the Jordan pair on the tournament court. Nike used the controversial topic for its marketing strategy and paid the penalty money every year.
For this extra payment, Nike charges a hefty price compared to the other sneaker. But the customer never stops using the Jordan pair while the other shoe charges less.
Besides, each year, Nike launched a new pair with added some new attractive features for Mr. Jordan’s NBA tournament.
After a few years, NBA withdraw its banned statement from the Jordan brand.
Does Michael Jordan Own the Air Jordan?
No, Michael Jordan does not own the Jordan brand. Yet, Michael Jordan is an integral part of the Jordan family and shares a strong bond with the Nike brand. You can say that Air Jordan is a collaborative line between Nike and MJ. Actually, the teamwork makes Air Jordan a rebellious brand.
The inspirational ‘Jumpman’ logo is also a sign of the basketball player silhouette. The first pair is designed by the Nike shoe designer Peter More.
As a consequence of his iconic logo and name, the player earns a fixed revenue from every purchase from the Air Jordan branch and always promotes the sneaker line on his own.
For such reasons, a few amounts of people still think that Michel Jordan is the owner of the Jordan brand and confusion about why the Jordan shoes sell in Nike air.
Nike always tried to fulfill MJ’s needs and criteria, when he suffered from acute ankle pain the brand incorporated the air max technology. And the collaboration of Michael Jordan’s fame, Nike material, and Tinker Hatfield’s air technology invented the revolutionary Air Jordan sneaker.
After all facilities, MJ always associates with other companies, and at last Nike diminished the relationship.
In 2003, when Michael Jeffrey move to Adidas from Nike, the Jordan line belongs to the Nike brand.
The Relation Between Nike & Jordan Brand
As I mentioned, the relationship and collaboration are still in hype since 1984, when the brand manufactures the very first pair of Air Jordans for MJJ.
The black metallic Jordan created a craze among all the athletes for its attractive look and features.
This single branch is ideal for all athletic programs, including skating. Professional skaters also consider Air Jordan an absolute pair for skateboarding for their supreme functionality along with a unique retro look.
To understand the connection between these two, you should know how they maintain the relationship for so long. And don’t think the correlation, going smoothly, there are some controversial ups and downs they face.
The first pair of Air Jordan was designed by Peter B. More in 1984 for MJ and release in the market in 1985 for random people.
Nike set a fixed partnership deal with Mr. Jordan for 5 years and $500,000.
After that sneaker, Nike produced one model for Michael Jordan before his every NBA tournament. And fans were eagerly waiting a whole year for that one beast.
Though, the partnership contracts become an issue over time because the basketball player couldn’t resist promoting the other companies. Unfortunately, the CEO of Nike Co. release their separation statement.
This tradition continued long years, in 2003 Jeffrey Jordan shifted to Adidas from Nike.
And the CEO of Nike Mark Parker said at a conference that “their partnership with Mr. Jordan completed the courses successfully.” Yet, they manufacture Jordan shoes for athletes.
Within these years, Jordan sneakers created a huge fan base which is enough to make Air Jordan a new individual company of its own.
At last, in 2006 Nike offered another deal with the Jordan and the partnership charged $300 million dollar for sole providers. After this deal, when you wear any Jordan pair, you ultimately put on Nike shoes.
Is Air Jordan Still Owned by Nike?
Air Jordan is a famous athletic line that was initially produced by Nike (an American shoe company) in early 1984. After a long, controversial relationship, Air Jordan is still owned by Nike.
There was a lot of tension between Michael Jordan and Phil knight, and the problem became an instant backlash when MJ decided to shift to Adidas.
In late 2003 their old partnership was called off and both walk individually.
After a short break, Nike again wanted to collab with MJ and offered a new sole provider partnership in 2006.
The brand considers Jeffrey Jordan as one of its most lucrative assets. For the same reason, Nike always wanted to promote the Jordan brand by intact the ambassador name and logo.
It’s like a win-win partnership for both parties. And the partnership deal was finalized for $300 million dollars this time.
After this deal, now Nike holds on to all the rights of the Jordan brand, and Michael is no longer part of the basketball production of his own company.
Before You Say Goodbye
Air Jordan is always owned by Nike Co. though there is a lot of misconception about the name and their previous relationship hype still, the Jordan Brand belongs to Nike.
Nike uses the iconic name and logo, and for this reason, Michael Jordan gets a percentage of the revenue.
After this clear statement, I don’t think any confusion is left behind. If there is still some, I’m just one comment away from you.
Till then, take care!
