'Told you not to wear them”: Boxer Andre Ward recalls when Michael Jordan almost made his friend take his Adidas shoes off
Michael Jordan has now made more money from his off-court business dealings than he did during his NBA career. Given that, it's no surprise that MJ takes things seriously when it comes to sneakers. With one of the most successful shoe lines of all time, Nike's shoes have become synonymous with not only sneaker culture, but Jordan himself.
Many NBA fans were able to watch Jordan play in the 1980s and '90s, when he rattled off six championships and two Olympic medals. Despite that, many fans never had the chance to see him play on TV or in person.
As such, much of Jordan's legacy among the current generation comes from highlights and his Air Jordan shoes. On the "All The Smoke" podcast, boxer Andre Ward said that Jordan takes sneakers just as seriously as he does playing basketball competitively.
To illustrate that point, Ward recalled a meeting he and his team had with Michael Jordan's team. Despite the meeting taking place in a boardroom, Jordan made sure to scan the room to see what shoes everyone was wearing. Although Ward had on a pair of Air Jordans, one of his friends didn't.
"This how cold Mike is, though. ... He come in there scanning shoes, as soon as he came in. .... They take, like, people that's in that industry, oh, it's serious," Ward said. "So, he came in. 'What's up, Mike?' ... (Jordan:) 'What's up with your man?' I'm like, 'What you mean?'
"I said, 'Bro, I told you, bro, not to wear them.' ... (Jordan:) 'He ain't right. He ain't right for that.'"
The time Michael Jordan almost made someone else take their shoes off
As Andre Ward said, Michael Jordan "almost" made his friend take off his Adidas shoes in the boardroom meeting. Although some members of the NBA community believe Jordan may have been overreacting, it isn't the first time the Hall of Famer nearly made someone take their shoes off.
As the story goes, when Chauncy Billups was a rookie, he and the Boston Celtics were playing the Chicago Bulls on opening night. While speaking with ESPN, he recalled how things went for Greg Minor when he was tasked with guarding Jordan in the 1997-98 season.
Jordan, unsurprisingly, was having a great game, with he and Minor getting into a bit of a dustup that resulted in Jordan going to the free-throw line. As MJ made his way to the charity stripe, he looked over and took aim at Minor for wearing Air Jordans.
“He looks at Greg and says, ‘I should make you take my shoes off,’ Billups said. "I looked down, and I see he has Jordans on.”
While Jordan's playing career is over, the fiery competitive spirit that impressed so many fans seems to be alive and well in the NBA legend.