Apart from winning an NBA title, one of the signs of a successful basketball career is getting a shoe deal. And when it comes to sneaker endorsements, they don't get any more prestigious than the Jordan Brand . While other brands may offer more money and other perks, signing with Air Jordan was unique as it meant you had the stamp of approval from the "Greatest of All Time," Michael Jeffrey Jordan.
LaMarcus Aldridge , a star player for the Portland Trail Blazers back then, faced a dilemma when he signed with the MJ's Brand in October 2014. As he narrated in an interview with fellow Jordan Brand athletes Darius Miles and Quentin Richardson on the "Knuckleheads" podcast, while it was a blessing to be gifted with so many pairs, he ended up having too many than he knew what to do with.
Boxes and boxes kept on coming
According to the 6'11" big man from Texas, getting onboard with Jordan Brand was a difficult process. He was a Nike athlete for the first eight years of his career, and the sports apparel giant was wary of letting LMA go.
"It was a fight to even get there because Nike didn't want to let me go. I had an offer from a Chinese company, and I had to leverage that to get to Jordan Brand, but I had to make sure that he actually wanted me," Aldridge stated . "Larry Miller, one of my closest friends—a Portland native—hit me up and said, 'MJ wants you; we just have to figure out how to make it happen because Nike's tired of guys leaving and coming to this side.' I leveraged the China contract and got there."
As soon as he became a Jordan athlete, LaMarcus was bombarded with never-before-seen gear. From apparel to sneakers, the boxes kept on coming. As soon as he finished unpacking one package, in came several more.
"It was an honor and a brotherhood; they take care of you more than you could ever imagine—boxes on boxes at your door," the seven-time All-Star stated.
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Never knew it would happen to him
LMA then recalled the time he visited his teammate Juwan Howard's crib. The former Michigan Wolverine was a Jordan Brand endorser while Aldrige was still with Nike.
"I remember when Juwan Howard came to the team, I went to his house, and there were Jordan boxes everywhere. I said, 'Bro, why you got all these boxes?' He said, 'I got too much sh*t." I thought I would never have too much Jordan stuff, but when I signed with Jordan, I was like, I got too much Jordan sh*t!'" Aldridge recalled.
The five-time All-NBA Team member later decided to build a small building behind his house to display the exclusive Jordan sneakers that he received.
"You're getting so many, and you're getting like the exclusive stuff, like the Christmas ones we get—you know, like you get some stuff that ain't really ever out there. So I was like, 'Man, as a shoe guy, I love shoes, how dope would it be to have a display of all these Js?'" LaMarcus revealed.
"So it's like the ones I know I ain't gonna wear, I ain't gonna touch, I wanna keep 'em nice, let's put 'em on display. You get some heat, man—it be a lot of heat, as you know, you get a lot. So it's like some, you know like some could be in the house that I'm actually gonna wear, but like the ones I know I ain't gonna touch, like, let's put 'em out back and put them on display," he continued.
As a pro hooper, having a sneaker deal is a badge of honor few ever receive. And for LaMarcus, a longtime member of the Jordan Brand, it's not just about the shoes themselves but also the excellence they represent.
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