“My sneakers are for All-Stars!” - When Michael Jordan roasted his own teammate at Washington Wizards for an innocent request
Michael Jordan and the iconic Jordan Brand aren't just for any player in the world. Former Washington Wizard Rip Hamilton learned that the hard way.
Rip Hamilton recalled in an episode of The Jump:
"At times, me and a couple of the young guys would come up to him and say, ‘Hey Mike, what do you think about putting us in the brand Jordan collection?,’ and he’d look and me and say, ‘Hey Rip! My sneakers are for All-Stars!'”
To be fair to Hamilton, Jordan still doesn't let everyone wear his sneakers. He even talked messily to Kobe Bryant about how he would never be in his "shoes." In an episode of the No Chill Gill Podcast, Gilbert Arenas recalled this one hilarious moment:
“In Washington, Jordan gets that win. Jordan hits (Bryant) on the butt and says, ‘You can put the shoes on, but you ain’t never gon’ fill em. You’re never gonna fill em, you’re never gonna fill these shoes.’ That’s basically what he was telling Kobe. So they say Kobe didn’t talk to the team for two weeks. Like, he just went silent, but he was on one million.”
“So they say, ‘Phil [Jackson], what’s up with Kobe? Is he mad at us?’ Phil said, ‘Nah, he ain’t mad at you. (Jordan) told him he can copy him all he wants and do all that but he’ll never fill these shoes.’ […] (Lakers) were like, ‘Yeah, I feel sorry for the next time we play Jordan.’ They already knew what was about to happen against MJ when MJ came to LA […] He didn’t even have to tell the team. Once they heard what happened, it’s what Kobe decided to do."
Players endorsed by Michael Jordan Brand
While Jordan Brand is still endorsing athletes that are signed to the brand, most of them are some of the top players in basketball.
Luka Doncic, Jayson Tatum, Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony, Bam Adebayo, Bradley Beal, Zion Williamson, Russell Westbrook, Kemba Walker, Victor Oladipo, and Paolo Banchero are all a part of Michael Jordan's brand.
Paolo Banchero is the newest player added to the prestigious list. Working with Michael Jordan isn't something that he takes lightly at all. In a recent interview, he had the following to say:
“It was exciting for me, just having all of the shoe companies become more and more interested,” he said, per the Boardroom. “When Jordan stepped in, that really kind of made me raise my eyebrows. They don’t try and sign everybody.”
“To elevate them as a brand and myself as a brand and a player,” Banchero said. “Come out with stuff and wear things that the people are going to love, fans are going to love and I’m going to love. Whatever direction it goes, just continue to build on it and make it the best that it can be.”
Michael Jordan will continue to endorse some of the best players in the game. Year in and year out, it seems like he's adding another prestigious player. Let's see if he can add another big name in the coming years.