Michael Jordan and Derek Jeter Pioneered an Elusive Relationship That Eventually Saw Deion Sanders and Others Linked to the $10 Billion Brand

Michael Jordan was on top of the world of sports after his first three-peat. At the peak of his powers, times were getting scary. However, His Airness pulled up a huge shock on everyone. The Chicago Bulls legend announced his retirement. The reason behind the sudden decision was to honor his father’s favorite sport, baseball. Jordan played in the minor league for a few seasons. And in his last year, he matched up against a future MLB legend, Derek Jeter. But no one knew how that one game would turn into a revolutionary brotherhood.

After their matchup, MJ announced his iconic return to the NBA. The ten-time scoring champion resumed from exactly where he left off. Jordan added another three championships to his resume. On the other hand, Jeter announced himself as one of the most exciting shortstops in the MLB. While they played two different sports, the pair of megastars had one common quality. Each of them had a knack to shine the brightest in clutch times. Jeter won five World Series with the New York Yankees.

As both of them exploded into fame, they started to grow closer. Soon, they had a bond like brothers. Unsurprisingly, Michael Jordan chose Jeter as the first baseball athlete to join his brand.

How the Michael Jordan-Drek Jeter partnership paved way for many more

Derek Jeter was a part of FILA before MJ approached him. The Jordan brand was just coming up, and the NBA Hall of Famer was out in search of a fit representative. Likewise, he hand-picked his close friend, Jeter to become the face of the brand on the baseball front. As Jordan became the undisputed king of sneakers, Jeter never left his side.

READ MORE – Derek Jeter Details His Strong Relationship With Michael Jordan- “He Always Looked Out for Me”

He released 13 signature shoes under the Jordan logo. ‘Captain Clutch’ even had a special shoe for his final game as a part of the New York Yankees. However, the impact was much more. Since Jeter, several other MLB superstars have signed with the brand now estimated to be worth around $10 billion.

‘The Captain’ and Michael Jordan began a revolution in the baseball diamonds with their partnership. Several MLB giants partnered with the sneaker king after taking inspiration from Jeter. Names such as CC Sabathia, Jimmy Rollins, Deion Sanders, and more joined along with the expansion of the Jordan era of sneakers.

The single partnership gave a breakthrough for the Jordan brand to grow even further. While it still isn’t the biggest brand on the baseball pitch, its potential for growth has been established. When two athletes who rank among the greatest get together, it is likely to create an explosive partnership. And it seems that is what likely awaits the Jordan brand in the coming years.

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Do you think we will see more Michael Jordan sneakers in the MLB diamonds? Let us know your views in the comments below.