For the longest time, Nike’s success was almost synonymous with Air Jordans. They’ve built their brand on Michael Jordan’s iconic shoes. In fact they even ended up surpassing the previous top-dog of the market: Reebok. And for years, it seemed like no other sneaker could compete. But recently, Nike has started exploring new paths, especially after a significant drop in its stock value. So, what happened? Why did Nike, the brand that once ruled the sneaker world, face a $1.42 billion setback?

Nike’s stock took quite a blow last Friday, dropping by a whopping 9.3%. Can you imagine? That sent its market value tumbling below $100 billion for the first time since the pandemic hit. In just one day, the company lost about $9 billion in value. And when you look at the big picture, Nike’s shares have dropped over 60% since their peak in 2021. It’s a tough time for the sportswear giant. They’re predicting even more challenges ahead, with declining revenue and profits as they try to reset their inventory. Things don’t seem to be looking up for the company as even the generated revenue has dropped from $12.42 billion to $11 billion this year!

Well, as the sneaker giant faces its problems, Will Smith recently took a dive back to its glory days. He went Sneaker Shopping with Complex’s Joe La Puma. Soon, the conversation went to the time when he copped Reebok’s ‘Shaqnosis’ in the movie Men in Black. Joe pointed out that even though his sporting Jordans is well known, him wearing Shaq’s shoes often gets overlooked. To this, Smith replied, “That was a rough call for me to switch to the Reebok.”

He pointed out that at the time, throwing on Jordans would be considered a safe choice. That’s because the shoes had become the part of the culture at the time. However, wearing Shaqnosis made him feel like “I was out on the edge.” Furthermore, he added, “But, you know, that was like, that MIB shot was like, that was a, that was a gamble.”

It is interesting to note that in the video, he also acknowledged that he hasn’t gone to shop for sneakers much after his time in The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. So, were those shoes a gift – perhaps from Shaq? But while that remains of yet unknown, Smith’s one-on-one deal with MJ to cop a pair of Jordans is quite infamous.

Smith reveals details surrounding his call to Michael Jordan

Will Smith’s love for Air Jordans is no secret. In fact, he once called basketball legend Michael Jordan, practically begging to be the first to rock the newest design. In an earlier podcast, last year, Smith recalled, “I was literally calling Jordan like, ‘Mike, please, please don’t give them to nobody. Let me be the first person, I gotta be the first person to wear it.’” But Jordan replied, as Smith humorously said, “Man, I don’t run that.” 

So, as Joe had the chance to ask for details, he didn’t let it go to waste. Smith explained how his mom’s connection with Jordan’s top designer gave him a little inside scoop. “My mother is friends with Jordan’s top designer at the time… So I was always getting the inside.”

He then explained the story about him calling the basketball legend for the shoes. He stated that Jordan was diplomatic about it. How so? Well, the realization came late to Smith that he wasn’t the only one receiving the latest kicks, despite what Jordan had told him. In his words, “So apparently I wasn’t the only person calling. He would always pretend like I was getting stuff first.”

Maybe this is what caused him to end up begging the 6x NBA champion later on. Ironically, his connection with Jordan would later inspire a release of Jordans tied to Smith’s persona (the AIR JORDAN V ‘FRESH PRINCE’), completing the circle of sneaker history in a way he never could have imagined.