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It's sportswear lore that Michael Jordan was a fan of adidas before going pro and eventually signing with Nike in 1984.
But until now, nobody knew exactly why adidas missed on signing the young man who would go on to become the greatest basketball player of all time. According to new information from the Wall Street Journal, adidas distributors were keen on signing Jordan, but the brand's execs in Germany weren't interested. The reason? They felt he was too short.
Via one of the article's writers, Sara Germano:
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That question has gone on to be prevalent in the sports marketing world, with the common assumption being that "big men don't sell shoes." Nike, reportedly on the advice of Sonny Vaccaro (who ironically later went on to work as a sports marketing executive at adidas), secured Jordan's services for the Swoosh over adidas, and the rest is history. Michael Jordan is still selling more sneakers than any of today's current signature athletes.
This information comes on the heels of adidas turning their focus to North America, where the German-based company is looking to make gains following a long slump. Heading this effort is an American-born, North American brand president Mark King, who adidas hopes will give a fresh perspective following years of overseas-led direction.
Adidas has come a long way from its purview of only signing centers. WSJ reports that King is looking to double adidas basketball roster and has already built signature sneaker lines around Derrick Rose, John Wall, and Damian Lillard.
