Adidas’ Biggest Mistake Cost Them Michael Jordan

“In 1984, Adidas made a misstep that presaged others. A University of North Carolina basketball star named Michael Jordan wanted a sponsorship deal with Adidas when he went professional, say people familiar with the matter.

Adidas distributors wanted to sign Mr. Jordan, says someone who was an Adidas distributor then. But executives in Germany decided shoppers would favor taller players and wanted to sponsor centers, the person says, adding: “We kept saying, ‘no—no one can relate to those guys. Who can associate with a seven-foot-tall guy?’ ”

The Portland Trailblazers also passed on Michael Jordan in the 1984 draft, using their pick to draft Sam Bowie, who was averaging nearly a double-double in college.

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Together, Nike and Jordan built an empire so strong that it turned the NBA’s greatest basketball player into the richest as well, as Jordan is now worth $1.9 billion.