If you’ve not paid attention to Gary Stokan before, you should. The current CEO of the Peach Bowl has helmed several marketing campaigns for sneaker giants. That included signing certain NBA greats to this brand. His time at Adidas involved designing the first campaign with Kobe Bryant and almost signing Michael Jordan. We know the story. The Jumpman wanted to go to Adidas first and his friendship with Stokan was the reason. Adidas didn’t repeat the mistake of losing a potential superstar again and tasked Stokan with Bryant’s campaign.

Sonny Vaccaro, the sneaker business’ most iconic executive who signed Michael Jordan to Nike in the ’80s, signed Kobe Bryant to Adidas in 1996. It was Stokan’s job from there. “I had 100 people from around the world because my job was global business unit manager. And we… or my team created Kobe’s first shoe. And with all those people from around the world in one room, I led, putting together our global marketing campaign for Kobe Bryant, which we sold out all of his shoes, all of his apparel,” Stokan revealed on 11Alive.

Adidas needed Bryant’s star appeal to compete against Nike and Air Jordan. And Stokan was the best person to handle a rookie Kobe’s first shoe campaign.

Bryant would eventually leave Adidas on a bitter note in 2002. However, he had been instrumental for the company at the start of his career. Especially after the brand didn’t listen to Stokan the first time.

Adidas ignored Gary Stokan’s Michael Jordan rec

During his time in North Carolina, Stokan had formed a friendship with a young Michael Jordan. Pre-NBA MJ had worn Adidas for his college career and first Olympic tryouts. Jordan loved the shoes, and he wanted to work with Stokan, who was still a budding marketing wiz then.

On 11Alive, Stokan quoted the Nike story, Swoosh, which explicitly stated that Jordan wanted to go to Adidas. But his mother and agent pushed him to listen to Nike’s offer as well. Jordan did, but also went back to Stokan. Since Jordan was in Chapel Hill and Stokan worked in Raleigh, they met at a random street in Jordan’s town. Jordan told him, “Mr Stokan, I love you. You’ve been great to me and my family. I love Adidas product. If you can get close on the card, the shoe deal, the annuity, I’ll sign with you… you don’t have to beat Nike, just get close.”

Nike had offered Jordan $2.5 million for five years. So Stokan wrote a three-page marketing plan for $2.6 million to convince the bosses at Adidas to sign Jordan. However, putting millions into the US market in 1984 was too steep for the European brand and they passed on it.

Despite Stokan’s attempts, Adidas lost Jordan to Nike. He’d end up reviving the brand from bankruptcy and make Nike the no.1 sneaker giant today. History would be different had Adidas listened to Gary Stokan. But in the end, it’s their former exec who remains best friends with His Airness.

Stay tuned for more such updates. And join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.