100 Most Influential People in Fashion

Fashion Influential #79: Michael Jordan

By Alicia on

Michael Jordan in Junior Middleweight Championship: Oscar De La Hoya v Floyd Mayweather

Hall of fame NBA player Michael Jordan looks on during the fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Oscar De La Hoya during their WBC super welterweight championship fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena May 5, 2007 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Mayweather defeated De La Hoya by split decision. (Getty Images)more pics » MICHAEL JORDAN
Born:
February 17, 1963 in Brooklyn, NY
Number of NBA Championships: 6
Endorsements:
Nike, Coke, Chevrolet, Gatorade, McDonalds, Wheaties, Hanes et al.
Estimated Net Worth:
$410+ Million Beginnings.
There was never much doubt that Michael Jeffrey Jordan would be a commanding sports figure, especially when he took the floor for the first time in 1984 wearing a Chicago Bulls jersey. He was one of those rare players who managed to be both humble and awesome, which made him eminently marketable.

Career Highs.
Aside from leading his team to 6 NBA championships (two “three-peats” to be exact), His Airness is responsible for endorsing a shoe that became the biggest name in sports, reshaped the way companies made, marketed and sold shoes, and arguably saved Nike from a doomed existence of making jogging suits for old white guys.

I play to win, whether during practice or a real game. And I will not let anything get in the way of me and my competitive enthusiasm to win. There is no ‘I’ in team but there is in win.
- Michael Jordan

Jordan at the race track.
Career Lows.
In 1993, the night before the Bulls were to play the New York Knicks, Jordan was spotted gambling in an Atlantic City casino. After intense media speculation, Jordan eventually 'fessed up to nearly $60,000 in gambling loses. That same Richard Esquinas, a man who claimed to have won $1.25 million from Jordan on the golf course, released a book detailing Jordan's gambling activities. Jordan told 60 Minutes' Ed Bradley in 2005, "Yeah, I’ve gotten myself into situations where I would not walk away and I’ve pushed the envelope. Is that compulsive? Yeah, it depends on how you look at it. If you’re willing to jeopardize your livelihood and your family, then yeah." He denied ever jeopardizing his family. It should also be noted that after his first three-peat, Jordan quit basketball for a baseball career. He returned to the court never having found a rhythm or a home run.

Legacy.
It’s hard to imagine a sports figure larger than Michael Jordan. Even in retirement, Nike continues to make and market his Air Jordan shoe (and post profits). Competitive athletes in any sport are compared to him: “Tiger Woods is the Michael Jordan of golf.” “Valentino Rossi is the Michael Jordan of motorcycle racing.” Et cetera. Such an influence is Michael Jordan that Magic Johnson once famously said, “There’s Michael Jordan and then there is the rest of us.”

Jordan and the shoe that changed it all.
Get the look.
Those wanting to be like Mike are in luck. Nike has been designing a new pair of Air Jordans every year since 1984. Luckily many of these shoes have been re-issued, so you can pick up a pair of retro Jordans for relatively cheap. Original vintage Air Jordans, on the other hand, will cost you dearly, but win huge points in certain cult circles of sneaker collectors.

- John