Billionaire Michael Jordan’s $20 Million Venture’s Identical Logo to Puma Gets Defended by Dwyane Wade: “I’m Not Even Getting Paid”

Is Michael Jordan‘s The Grove logo inspired by Puma? That would be shocking, considering his business deals with Nike. But no, that’s not the case. In fact, Dwyane Wade came forward to speak about the difference between MJ’s Black Cat and Puma.

As co-host Bob, who was wearing MJ’s exclusive Black Cat merch, pointed out how people confuse Puma and the Black Cat, Wade said, “See the about the thing about Puma versus The Grove the black cat logo is Puma is raised, black cat is sneaky down. So look at the logo, look at the black cat. The Puma is raised up. That’s the difference between Puma and the black cat.”

Further on ‘The Wine Down’ podcast, Wade said, “And I’m not even getting paid. Letting y’all know.” The discernible Black Cat logo is only acquired by a select few who get to swing the golf clubs at The Grove XXIII in Florida. The Miami Heat legend is well aware of MJ’s mark on the Florida landscape where he’s a resident too.

While the $3 billion-worth MJ has closely worked with Nike, the shoe company has the unforgettable Jumpman. And Jordan’s $20 million golf paradise, ‘The Grove XXIII’ screams His Airness through the Black Cat.

However, Black Cat isn’t a random logo design, and neither is XXIII’s mention. Both are closely related to MJ’s basketball career. Remember his jersey No. 23? Well, that’s what XXIII stands for. Early in his career, Jordan would wear No. 45. But his brother decided to wear 45, so MJ couldn’t continue with it as they were on the same team. He wanted to go for half of 45, which was 22.5 and a bit awkward. So he settled for 23. But what about the Black Cat logo?

Dwyane Wade Loves the Black Cat History

Long before the Jumpman, many nicknames were on the roulette during Jordan’s NBA career. He was called the Black Cat by friends when he was a kid in Wilmington, North Carolina. His agility and fierceness, like a predatory big cat in the wild, were an easy explanation. It picked up because of the Air Jordan XIII; also dubbed the ‘Black Cat.’ As Dwyane put it, “He was all the things the Black Cat is.”

This also inspired MJ’s shoe designs. Tinker Hatfield, who was Nike’s special projects vice president, said in 2004 that Jordan moved like a cat but also conserved energy. “Jordan plays basketball like that, with grace and smoothness. But he strikes in ferocious ways. Like a Black Cat, I took that inspiration for his next shoe design. Sleek, powerful but lean, nothing extra.”

So it made sense for Jordan to bring the Black Cat references to The Grove. The 15,000 sq. ft. facility in Jupiter, Florida, not far from where His Airness resides, is the ultimate nod to his other favorite sport – golf. According to D-Wade and Bob, the Jordan golf store within the club is an experience in itself. It carries every retro Jordan golf shoe among the Black Cat apparel. Wade is sure that the MJ-ness of the store brings in a lot of money.

Wade’s going to have us do a double-take next time we see a Black Cat logo. That merch is not usually available to us lay people. So forgive us for mistaking it for Puma, Dwyane.