Despite the New York Yankees‘ failing season, Aaron Judge is doing his best. Already on his 28th home run of the season, the captain is proving his worth at every at-bat. Although his nine-year, $360 million contract was drowned in injuries this year, Judge has proven he’s worth every penny. And it’s not just his baseball interests that have fans talking.

The outfielder recently signed one of the most coveted athlete deals of all time – NBA’s Michael Jordan‘s eponymous shoe brand. Joining an elite roster of MLB athletes that includes just one other Yankee, former captain Derek Jeter, Judge is in good company. But the 31-year-old has always been an MJ fan, as he recounted in a story recently.

Aaron Judge’s Old Jersey Number ’23’

Today Judge is synonymous with his pinstriped jersey number 99. But the Yankee captain was a three-sport athlete in high school and donned different numbers for football, basketball, and baseball. The jersey he wore on the hard court, however, had a special meaning behind it.

For his promotional video with the Jordan Brand, Aaron Judge was recently interviewed as part of the endorsement deal. Playing around in a room with basketballs, the interviewer asks him at one point about Michael Jordan’s iconic 23 jersey with the Chicago Bulls. And whether the outfielder ever wore it himself, his answer, was, of course, yes.

“If you’re on a basketball team, you’re putting up some points, you gotta represent it. So in high school, I got a chance to wear 23 all the way through. The shoes – I always wanted to it, for basketball, always Jordans,” he answers.

The video even shows a close-up of a very young Judge in a Linden High jersey with 23 stamped across the front, which is just heartwarming. However, another instance of Judge showing his interest in the basketball legend was not taken so kindly by fans.

Despite Innocent Interest, Judge Gets Mocked For MJ Photo

Much like the rest of us, Aaron Judge is a Michael Jordan fan. But when the Yankees captain recreated an iconic MJ picture to announce his deal with the brand, fans brutally trolled him. It showed Judge wearing a ring on his hand but unlike Jordan, who boasts multiple career championships, the baseballer has yet to even participate in a Fall Classic. Fans were quick to point it out on social media.

READ MORE -?Breaking Down $360,000,000 Aaron Judge?s Brand Endorsements

The 2023 playoff contention is out of the question for the Yankees. But if they get serious about changes, starting from the front office, maybe Judge can one day boast a World Series ring too.

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