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It is well-known by now that Michael Jordan is not a fan of Adidas after the company spurned him by refusing to offer him a shoe deal. The reasoning behind the lack of an offer was that Adidas were uninterested in signing basketball players. Rapper Nelly recently detailed how Jordan reacted to seeing him in an Adidas tracksuit.
While both Michael Jordan and Nike have made a significant amount of money over the past nearly 40 years, Jordan is known to take things personally. During a recent appearance on Complex Sneakers, Nelly shared how MJ reacted to seeing him in Adidas, stating:
"I had on an Adidas tracksuit one time, and I came in, had my shell toes on with my suit, and he was like 'Ah, ah, don't you come past that doorway' so he's like 'Man, get out of here.'"
Not only did the company refuse to offer Jordan a contract, but they are now direct rivals to Nike, which oversees his Jordan brand. It is difficult to imagine what could have been had Adidas made an offer. His Jordan-branded shoes have become the most popular basketball shoe of all-time.
It is impossible to know if he would have had the same success and cultural impact with Adidas, though.
Michael Jordan and the greatest of all-time debate
Michael Jordan's legacy transcends his abilities on the basketball court, as the NBA legend became a cultural icon in the 1990s. While Magic Johnson and Larry Bird are often credited with saving basketball, Jordan took the game to new heights in terms of popularity. It is hard to imagine the NBA reaching the level they are at without his contributions.
His iconic status, commitment to winning, and excellence on both ends of the court have earned Michael Jordan the title of the 'greatest of all-time' in most eyes. Other stars have had success in the league, but nobody has quite dominated in the way that Jordan did.
His era consisted of the most ringless stars, as Jordan prevented nearly all of his competition from ever winning an NBA title. In fact, the only stars of the 1990s to win championships did so while Jordan retired.
