Michael Jordan Persuaded Scottie Pippen Into Rejecting Nike Design Due to 1 Flaw, Ex-Employee Reveals

The teamwork between Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen was incredible. No wonder the two led the Chicago Bulls to win 6 NBA Championship titles. That spirit might have been extended to their Nike deals too. An ex-Nike employee revealed that Pippen changed his decision based on his former teammate Jordan’s suggestion. Pippen’s history with Nike’s big bubble shoe is well known to the sneakers enthusiasts. However, his sudden decision to land into Zoom technology puzzled many. That was until footwear designer Aaron Cooper put the last piece in the spotlight.

During a conversation with The Complex Sneakers Podcast, Cooper shared that Jordan suggested that Pippen make a switch to the new Zoom Air technology. After having a discussion, Pippen finally landed on Zoom. “We kind of stumbled through it and then we made him the shoe but it was Michael that really because he had just gotten zoom and so he was the one that was suggesting to Scottie that yeah you should get out of that bubble like this is the new greatest thing and so yeah that was we kind of worked through that one.”

Cooper shared that he was sent alone to discuss the details of the Big Air shoe technology with Pippen since there were no issues with his preference. It was mostly a fresh take on the Max Uptempo 3. In fact, Pippen loved the big bubble.

However, he was shocked when the 6x NBA champion declared that he didn’t like the shoes before he could complete explaining the entire upgrade to Pippen. There was also an issue because the company had already decided to make the shoe with a big bubble. This is certainly not how the first athlete meet should have gone. Following this, Cooper shared that he had to redesign the shoe with Zoom. To top it off, Pippen had one more complaint about the $166 billion company.

Scottie Pippen wasn’t impressed by Nike

The 7x NBA All-Star previously claimed that the brand’s creation ruined his career. He stated that the special air technology of the shoes led to harm to his ankles. He even had to undergo surgery as a result. During an interview with Full Size Run, Pippen said, “Nike at that time was really promoting the ‘Air Max’ which was more looking at the bubbling thing. I was just caught in an era where they were trying to promote the ‘Air Bubble’ and I was a player that I needed to be lowered to the ground.”

As Pippen mentioned, the brand was indeed focused on the heavy promotion of air technology. He further added, “I turned my ankle numerous amount of times. In fact, I had ankle surgeries on both ankles.” 

However, the latest revelation by Cooper is certainly intriguing. This is even more fascinating considering the current situation between the two. This incident also shows the impact Jordan had on his team members. Did you know about this? Let us know in the comments section below.