Sonny Vaccaro reveals Phil Knight opposed signing Michael Jordan to Nike: "All I did was have faith in (Jordan) when no one else did”

When Nike made the decision to sign Michael Jordan, the company wasn't known for its basketball shoes. In fact, Nike was primarily known for its signature track and field shoes at the time, despite producing the legendary Air Force 1 in 1982. The decision, of course, wound up being arguably one of the best Nike has ever made.

According to sports marketing executive Sonny Vaccaro, Nike Phil Knight wasn't even on board with signing Jordan right off the jump in 1984. As the new "Air" film shows, it wasn't exactly a controversial take. At the time Vaccaro recommended the company pursue Jordan, he simply had faith in the athletic young star out of North Carolina.

Although he said that the movie embellished certain things, he said that everything was factual. Simply put, Knight didn't want to sign Jordan for the price he could sign multiple other young players. If Jordan was injured, involved in a scandal or just a flat-out bust, the company's budget would be thrown out the window.

“They embellished some things, but I can honestly say there were no lies,” Vaccaro said. “All I did was have faith in (Jordan) when no one else did. It would have been easier to pick (Kentucky center) Sam Bowie. He was the most valuable player of my all-star game, so I had a relationship with him.”

When it comes to the credit for getting a deal done and the success that has come along the way, Vaccaro believes Jordan's mother Deloris deserves the most.

“I knew she was the only lifeline I had. I just sensed she was the boss, and I was right — just like I was right about Michael," Vaccaro said. "I can go to my deathbed not being embarrassed by anything that I saw. Can tell the public it ended great, because the real winner was the fans. But the person who made it happen was Mrs. Jordan.”

Michael Jordan and Nike's success with a helping hand from David Stern

Given the success of Nike signing Michael Jordan, it's no surprise that Phil Knight is thankful the company signed MJ all those years ago. The way he sees things, however, former NBA commissioner David Stern gave them a huge helping hand even if he didn't mean to.

When Nike released the Air Ship, no other shoe on the market had as many colors. As a result, David Stern and the NBA banned the shoe, however, Nike used the ban as fuel while marketing the Air Jordan 1, and the story stuck.

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During an interview with Bleacher Report in 2020, Knight spoke about the NBA's decision, and the help from Stern:

"It was a stroke of luck, really, that David Stern, who was commissioner of the NBA at the time, banned the shoe because it had too many colors. You can't get better publicity than that. Every kid wanted the banned shoe. Thank you, David Stern.

"The remarkable thing is the advertising really clicked. ... Michael was not only a great player, but he was a great personality, and it impacted the business a lot."

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