Prior to Michael Jordan's Monumental Nike Deal, $2.8 Billion Were Sacrificed by a Former Lakers Star in Order to Secure $100,000

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The NBA would take a historical leap in the 1990s, mostly riding on the shoulders of Michael “Air” Jordan. Putting an end to his prolonged Championship drought, and along with it all the question marks on his greatness, Jordan would lead the Chicago Bulls to three consecutive Championships from 1991 to 1993. After outclassing the “Bad Boy” Detroit Pistons and the Showtime Lakers-two of the NBA’s greatest dynasties, MJ didn’t have a lot of incentives to dominate the hardwood anymore. Just at that juncture of his life, father James Jordan Sr.’s untimely demise would prompt the Bulls superstar to retire from basketball and strive for a baseball career. However, Jordan would soon come back to feature in an ‘I Had a Dream’ Nike commercial, after reporting back to his $3,850,000 per year job with the Chicago Bulls in 1995.

On March 1995, Jordan decided to quit baseball for good and reclaim his throne in Chicago. However, the King’s court seemed to have gathered some rust over the 18-month hiatus as MJ struggled to find his footing in the first few games, starting with a terrible 7-28 showing against the Indiana Pacers. Meanwhile, Nike would tactfully decide to capture their superstar athlete’s crazy journey to promote their tagline ‘Just Do It’ through a popular advertisement.

Nike’s 1995 Michael Jordan ad captured his insane baseball journey

After leading the USA Dream team to a Gold medal in the Olympics, Michael Jordan had pretty much won everything there was to win in basketball. The lack of challenges in the NBA fueled his gambling habits in the early 90s, which MJ utilised as an outlet for his fierce competitiveness.

Just when his gambling issues had started to become a PR problem for the NBA, tragedy struck the Jordan family and Michael lost his father through a tragic roadside robbery attempt. Soon after, Jordan would announce his retirement from basketball and join the Chicago White Sox to fulfill his father’s wish of playing in the MLB. However, after a lackluster stint for the White Sox’ Minor League affiliates Birmingham Barons, the Bulls superstar would announce his return to basketball amid the MLB strike.

Jordan’s dramatic return to basketball resulted in his inaugural game against Indiana to break all kinds of ratings records. However, Jordan would struggle to score against the Pacers, as he would for a series of games after that as well. In the meantime, Nike decided to capitalize on MJ’s plight by focusing on his 18-month hiatus from the NBA in this 1995 commercial.

“I had this dream. I retired, I became a weak-hitting Double-A outfielder with a below average arm. Had $16 dollar meals for dinner. I rode small town to small town on a bus, and then I returned to the game I loved-shot 7-for-28. Can you imagine it!” The sequence of events does seem insane for the Chicago Bulls superstar, who was at the top of the world just a couple of years ago. Jordan’s monologue in the commercial nicely segued into Nike’s tagline ‘Just Do It’.

MJ had a humbling return to the NBA

MJ’s poor showing in the first few games of his return proved that you can’t just come into the league after months of inactivity and expect to win games, even if you’re Michael Jeffrey Jordan. As mentioned in the Nike commercial, Jordan managed only 19 points in his first game back against the Pacers, shooting 7-for-28 from the floor, 0-for-4 from deep, in a 96-103 loss.

The Bulls superstar’s hardship would continue for a few more games. The Bulls’ season would be cut short by a 2-4 loss in the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Orlando Magic. However, the pitiful season of the Bulls would provide MJ all the fuel necessary to win three consecutive Championships once again in the next three years.