Michael Jordan's biggest Olympics controversy: When His Airness beefed with Reebok in Barcelona
During the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, Michael Jordan and several of his fellow Team USA players protested against Reebok. At the time, Reebok was the official sponsor of USA Basketball; however, MJ and several other members of the famed Dream Team were sponsored by Nike. Because of that, Jordan wasn't a fan of having to wear Reebok while on the podium.
After being forced to wear Reebok warm-ups during the medal ceremony, Jordan and several teammates took it upon themselves to protest. Jordan, not wanting to endorse a competitor while also wanting to make sure he didn't violate Olympic rules, came up with an idea.
Along with several other members of Team USA, Michael Jordan decided to protest by draping the American flag over his shoulder, tactically blocking out Reebok's logo while displaying his patriotism. Similarly, other players such as Charles Barkley, also a Nike athlete, joined in.
Along with Jordan and Barkley, Magic Johnson, who was one of the faces of Converse, also decided to join in, draping a flag over his shoulder. Other players also participated subtly, unzipping their jackets so that the collar obstructed the Reebok logo.
After the medal ceremony, Jordan gifted the jacket to Brian McIntyre, who was an NBA staff member in Barcelona with Team USA for the Olympics.
Michael Jordan's Dream Team jacket sells for $1.51 million decades after protest
After Michael Jordan gave Brian McIntyre his jacket, the NBA staff member predicted that one day MJ would want it back. In an interview with NBC, McIntyre revealed that when Jordan shifted to baseball in 1994, he expected him to want the jacket back.
During a public event Jordan was attending, McIntyre brought the Chicago legend the jacket, assuming he would want the piece of memorabilia. Instead, MJ signed it, thanking McIntyre for everything, before handing it back to him.
As Jordan explained following the protest in an interview with The Baltimore Sun, he and the team decided to protest the way they did because the American flag can't be used to deface anything.
"Everyone agreed we would not deface the Reebok on the award uniform. The American flag cannot deface anything. That's what we stand for. The American dream is standing up for what you believe in. I believed in it, and I stood up for it. If I offended anyone, that's too bad," Jordan said.
"When you hire 12 Clint Eastwoods to come in here and do a job, don't ask them what bullets they're putting in the gun."
Last summer, the jacket went up on sale as part of Sotheby's auction, ultimately selling for $1.51 million.