Michael Jordan Suffered From a Painful Condition That Only 10% of American Adults Have, Ex-Nike Executive Reveals Shocking Details

It’s no mean feat to create a legendary career on and off the court, but Michael Jordan did it, thanks to his hooping skills and the iconic collaboration with Nike. His retirement from the game has been two decades yet the Jordans till today are selling like hotcakes. In 1995, MJ decided to call off his first retirement and made a comeback with two words “I’m back.” In that season he also wore the new Air Jordan 11. According to the Former Vice President of Nike, it was to help Jordan deal with the medical condition.

Hip Hop artist Jae Skeese joined for an exclusive interview on The Danza Project with legendary sneaker designer Gentry Humphrey. The former vice president of Jordan Footwear shared information that very few people seem to know. For 32 years he used to take care of product creation, design development, and product marketing.

Skeese asked him the reason for the introduction of blue tint in Jordan 11 shoes. Humphrey said they had to make sure the shoes solved the purpose first. The outsole had a tint and that tint had a purpose. “So what people may or may not know is Michael had, uh the season before we did the 11, he had Plantar fasciitis where your arches start to collapse.”

Plantar fasciitis, a condition that is observed in about 10% of the population, involves inflammation of a tissue that runs along the sole of the foot. This causes a stabbing pain and can flare up upon prolonged activity. Humphrey and Nike, thus, wanted to build a shoe that had the stiffness to allow Jordan to play an 82-game season plus the playoffs.

So they decided on using carbon fiber instead of a steel plate that would stretch the tendons underneath one’s foot, causing plantar fasciitis. The carbon fiber on the other hand, was lightweight, yet sturdy, and the blue tint acted as a shield in stopping the yellowing of the shoes with age. Humphrey states that the team wanted people to see what the product offered from a ‘performance standpoint’.

And till today, his rarest items have been sold at the highest amount. A signed Michael Jordan trading card sold for $2.9M—breaking a record held by another MJ card. But do you know a former NBA player has stolen personal things of Jordan?

Michael Jordan had his bag stolen 20 years ago

Just as Michael Jordan retired from the NBA for a third time, Gilbert Arenas was traded to the Washington Wizards, where Jordan played his last game. This allowed Arenas to steal some of Jordan’s game-worn jerseys and personal items. One of which Gilbert Arenas decided to use while playing in the NBA.

However, since they were used by the Chicago Bulls legend, Arenas decided to not even wash them before using them himself. Arenas decided to take it up a notch by bringing out his collection of Michael Jordan-worn jerseys and shorts, which haven’t been washed in the past 20 years.

He had some framed and some still in the bag. However, they are still in the original condition in which he got them. ‘I knew it. Where’s the rest of the shit?’ was Micahel Jordan’s reaction when Arenas’ son, while getting one of the jerseys signed, revealed it was his father who had grabbed the items.

Many athletes have never considered such challenges a disadvantage and have excelled in their respective fields. The 6x NBA champion is a shining example of that.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato had to say about the marketing genius, watch this video.