Turns out the baller with the best- selling shoes hasn’t played a pro game in 11 years. Jordan may own an NBA court these days, but he hasn’t laced up to play on one professionally since his days as a Wizard, but his sneaks are still No. 1.
“Today’s NBA stars are all still looking up at the man who started the basketball shoe craze three decades ago. Michael Jordan joined Nike in 1984 with a five-year contract worth $500,000 a year plus royalties. Nike outfitted him in red and black Air Jordans, which the NBA fined Jordan $5,000 a game (and later banned the shoes) for not matching the Bulls’ uniforms. Nike paid the fines and ran with the publicity around the ban. Jordan became a shoe-selling juggernaut fueled by six titles with the Bulls.”
The Jordan brand remains unstoppable. U.S. retail sales hit $2.25 billion last year, up 12.5% versus 2012 for its shoes. Forbes says MJ controlled more than 50% of the U.S. basketball shoe market in 2013. And those retro Jordan shoes make up about half of Jordan Brand sales.
If MJ parked Brand Jordan it would still take James 10 years to catch up. Run, LeBron, run. Don’t give up. We know it’s tough. But somebody’s got to do it.
For the curious out there, here’s the complete top eight list of the game’s highest sneaker sellers as posted by Forbes and tabulated by Sports one Source.
U.S. Retail Basketball Shoe Sales
- LeBron James (Nike): $300 million
- Kevin Durant (Nike): $175 million
- Kobe Bryant (Nike): $50 million
- Derrick Rose (Adidas): $40 million
- Carmelo Anthony (Jordan): $30 million
- Chris Paul (Jordan): $30 million
- John Wall (Adidas): $5 million
- Dwight Howard (Adidas): $5 million
Source: SportsOneSource