Michael Jordan Nearly Signed with Adidas—Until Nike Stepped Up

Long before Air Jordans became a global phenomenon, a young Michael Jordan was on the verge of joining Adidas. A recently resurfaced clip sheds new light on how a promising basketball star’s footwear allegiance almost went in a very different direction.

In an archival video shared by The Basketball Network, Jordan candidly recounts his early preference for Adidas at the start of his NBA career. “I really liked Adidas,” he admitted, reflecting on negotiations with the German sportswear giant.

At the time, major brands like Converse and Adidas had already cornered the market on athlete endorsements, leaving upstart Nike as an unlikely contender.

Michael Jordan, fresh off his collegiate career at the University of North Carolina where he sported Converse, revealed he gave Adidas every opportunity to win his signature. After hearing Nike’s proposal, which uniquely included creative input from Jordan on shoe design and marketing, he returned to Adidas with an offer: match Nike’s terms, and he’d sign.

“They couldn’t even come close,” Jordan said.

That was the turning point. Nike not only met the moment financially, they bet big on Jordan’s vision. They offered him center stage and creative control, a rare move at the time for a rookie athlete. The partnership didn’t just change Jordan’s life, it reshaped the sneaker industry.

What followed was the birth of one of the most iconic athlete-brand partnerships in history. Today, Jordan remains at the helm of his namesake brand, overseeing key decisions and sustaining a legacy that might never have materialized if Adidas had matched that fateful offer.