Coach Prime makes his stance crystal clear on why he didn’t rock Michael Jordan’s iconic sneaker brand

Deion Sanders has never been spotted wearing Michael Jordan's signature sneakers, and he explained why in an interview with Joe La Puma on Complex Sneaker Shopping on Monday.

Sanders noted that it was simply because of personal branding. The Colorado coach said he wanted to have his own brand and sneakers.

“I love Jordan and I respect the heck out of him,” Sanders said. (Timestamp 2:17). "I think he's the greatest ever, [and] will be the greatest ever. But I never hit into rocking his shoes because I wanted my own thing. I wanted my own brand and I wanted to do my own thing.

“I wanted to be the first of this and that. And just having your own signature football shoe and having your own signature cross-training shoe, it was unbelievable. To put cleats up under a cross-training shoe was outstanding.”

Deion Sanders eventually got his signature sneakers, the Air Diamond Turf, from Nike in 1993 while he was playing for the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta Braves. The sneaker embodied his versatility as a dual-sport star and has been re-released multiple times.

Deion Sanders explains why he brought sneakers to the football field

Before the Air Diamond Turf, sneakers were mainly reserved for basketball. The Jordan signature sneakers had taken their popularity to the next level.

However, Deion Sanders was able to bring the custom-designed sneakers to the football field, marking the start of a popular culture. In the same interview, Sanders explained why he wanted sneakers on the gridiron.

“Because you want that same upper but you could change the bottom and make it into what you wanted to,” Sanders said. (Timestamp 2:48). "But the upper was just fly. It had to be something suitable. We did the strap across the forefoot because I spat it.

“And I wanted the shoe to feel tight like it was a spat and I wanted it to grab me and hug me. So that's why the strap across the front came and then I wanted a higher shoe. I don't want straight low tops, not high tops, I wanted something mid. So it was shaped like a Lamborghini.”

There was a significant pause in the release of Air Diamond Turf for some years after the relationship between Nike and Sanders hit a crossroads. However, it returned after he became the coach of Colorado, with Nike bringing out new variants and retros.