?Lord, Have Mercy! He?s Late.?: A Hamburger May Have Cost Nike Billions of Dollars if Not for Michael Jordan?s Mother Deloris

NBA legend and Hall of Famer Michael Jordan bagged millions after his endorsement deal with Nike, which started back in 1984, the same year he debuted in NBA. The former Chicago Bulls player has earned over $1 billion from Nike over the years. However, neither MJ nor Nike would have benefitted from each other as his first meeting with the American shoe company was on the brink of being canceled due to Nike’s [then] field representatives’ hamburger habit. However, Deloris Jordan intervened at the right time.

MJ’s shoe brand, ‘Air Jordan’ completely changed the sneaker industry and helped Nike to become a multi-billion dollar brand. However, if it weren’t for Deloris, the world might have never seen Nike’s Jordan coming into existence.

Deloris Johnson persuaded Michael Jordan to attend a meeting with Nike

In one of the recent articles of ‘ANDSCAPE’, Aaron Dodson wrote Nike’s [the-then] field representative and long-time VP of Jordan brand, Howard White, had told them Jordan’s first meeting with Nike would have been canceled as he was eating a hamburger with one of the attorneys of Nike. He said they went to Helvetia Tavern to eat hamburgers and thought they would return in time but were running late. White added, “Needless to say, we did not get back in time. MJ and his family were already there. I?m sure they said, ?Lord, have mercy. He?s late.?”

The VP continued that His Airness was not interested in attending the meeting first, and his agent, David Falk, had to call his mom to convince him. White added, “David called his mom, who said, ?First, talk to his dad.? Pops talked to him, and Michael said no again. Then, Mama J said, ?No, he will be there. And we will be there.?”

Why was Jordan reluctant to go to the meeting?

White didn’t just reveal how Deloris convinced his son to attend the meeting but also why the 14x All-Star was not interested in going to the meeting. In the interview above, the VP said the six-time champion loved Adidas and was an Adidas guy. He, moreover, added that Adidas had sent him merchandise and goodies that Jordan loved. According to White, the former Bulls player didn’t want to attend the meeting as Jordan’s allegiance lay with Adidas.

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What are your thoughts on Michael Jordan and Howard White’s hamburger story?? Let us know in the comments below.

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