A Former Adidas Employee Reveals Passing on Michael Jordan in 1984

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MJ23 really wanted to join Adidas?

For over thirty years, the Portland Trail Blazers have been haunted by making the unfortunate decision on passing up on Michael Jordan with the no. 2 overall pick in the 1984 draft. The same can be said about German-based clothing and shoe giant Adidas, who also made a decision overlooking his royal airiness.

Distributors of the brand initially wanted to sign Michael Jordan directly out of his transfer from the University of North Carolina to Chicago, but executives in Germany didn’t feel a shooting guard fit their brand, being undersized. Known for their association with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and centers of the era, the unidentified source who spoke with the Wall Street Journal saying,

“In 1984, Adidas made a misstep that presaged others. A University of North Carolina basketball star named Michael Jordan wanted a sponsorship deal with Adidas when he went professional, say people familiar with the matter.

Adidas distributors wanted to sign Mr. Jordan, says someone who was an Adidas distributor then. But executives in Germany decided shoppers would favor taller players and wanted to sponsor centers, the person says, adding: “We kept saying, ‘no—no one can relate to those guys. Who can associate with a seven-foot-tall guy?’”.

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