"So I didn’t personally talk to MJ about it" - When Dwyane Wade's exit from Nike and Michael Jordan's Jumpman came without any communication
Dwyane Wade is an NBA legend who won three championships with the Miami Heat. Given his on-court success, Wade was first signed by Converse in a shoe deal which he left to join Nike's Jordan brand.
However, in 2012 after winning the NBA championship, Wade left the Jordan brand to sign with Chinese brand Li-Ning instead. Of course, this news had to be communicated to Michael Jordan.
Dwyane Wade was asked in an interview with Complex about how he communicated the decision to Jordan:
"To MJ? [Laughs] Well, you know, obviously how this works with contracts, man, is that you go into a year and I think people what people don’t know is I had a chance to sign back with Michael and Brand Jordan and Nike.
"They still wanted me to be a part of the family, and I just wanted to have my options open a little bit, and I think they knew that through the whole year — I didn’t sign my extension."
"And going into the summer I was really looking for the deal I felt as best for me, and when this deal came I think everyone knew it. So I didn’t personally talk to MJ about it, but Nike and all the Jordan guys that I have a relationship with they kinda knew the direction I was goin’ in."
Dwyane Wade was looking out for his own interests and trying to find a deal that would put him first. Fortunately for him, he was able to accomplish this with Li-Ning.
Wade signed an 8-year, $10 million deal with Li-Ning. This deal offered more money than Nike's Jordan Brand was at the time and was also willing to make Wade the face of the shoe.
The contract allowed Dwyane Wade to become the chief brand officer and established a 'Way of Wade' brand exclusively for him.
Here is what Wade said about choosing Li-Ning:
"Well, I think Li-Ning made Li-Ning, man, they really wanted me to be a part of this brand. They really made sure that I felt that this was not just another endorsement, that this was a partnership.
"And really building out the Wade brand was something that was very important to me because I wanted this to be a deal that lasts beyond basketball and not just another three-four year deal and move on to something else."
Dwyane Wade compares his shoe legacy to Michael Jordan's
Dwyane Wade left Nike's Jordan Brand back in 2012 to chart his own path in the shoe world through a partnership with Li-Ning. In making this decision, Wade had hoped that he would create a lasting legacy beyond his time on the court.
This move set a new precedent in the NBA. Before this, most athletes were pretty much choosing between Adidas or Nike. However, Wade was strong enough to try and navigate new territory, just like Jordan did with his brand.
Here is what Wade had to say about leaving the Jordan Brand and trying to create his own path:
"Hopefully Michael understands that, because Michael had to do his own thing as well. And that’s all I’m trying to do, I’m trying to create and build my own legacy in a sense, and I had an unbelievable opportunity to do it globally, differently, than probably what Michael has done or what people are used to, in a sense.
"So I would hope that his viewpoint would be, 'I can understand.'"
Dwyane Wade was right in that Michael Jordan should understand what he was attempting to do. The two are both competitive athletes who have provided a lot of value to their teams on the court and to their fans off the court. Their legacy continues to live on today, despite having retired from the game of basketball.