MJ blamed his shoe for 1985 foot injury and almost left Nike: "Phil Knight was pretty well convinced that Michael was gonna leave Nike"

Chicago Bulls great Michael Jordan owns the most successful signature shoe line in the history of sports. MJ turned his Air Jordan shoes into a billion-dollar business empire, one that accounted for 13% of Nike's total revenue for the fiscal year 2023.

But before Michael made at least $1 billion from selling shoes, he almost left Nike before the Air Jordan shoe could snowball into the Jordan Brand . After his sensational rookie season, Mike broke his foot three games into the 1985-86 season wearing Nikes. According to shoe designer Tinker Hatfield, the injury 'soured' MJ.

Knight thought MJ was gone

Jordan ended up playing only 18 games that season, the fewest in his NBA career. Because of that, MJ hated the Air Jordan 2, which was launched in time for his second NBA season. Not only did Michael hate his new shoe, but he also entertained the thought of leaving Nike.

With Mike beginning to talk to other shoe companies, the Swoosh brand set a meeting to assure him that they could deliver everything they had promised him. However, while Hatfield was working double time to find a way to appease Jordan, Nike founder Phil Knight was very worried about losing MJ.

"Phil Knight was pretty well convinced that Michael was gonna leave Nike," Hatfield said . "Phil was very, very concerned. I think he thought for sure we had lost him. There was this one last meeting. It was in this hotel."

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The Air Jordan 3 cheered up MJ

So, the meeting was set at a hotel in Orange County, California. Knight, Nike marketing heads, Hatfield, and Jordan's parents were there. Curiously, Mike didn't arrive until everyone had waited for four hours, which added tension.

Once Mike arrived, he looked pissed. It wasn't until Hatfield pulled out the Air Jordan 3 prototype that Jordan's mood lightened. Hatfield thought he saved the company with his new shoe, but it turned out that Mike's parents had talked to him after the meeting and convinced him to stay with Nike.

Just as he listened to his mom when she told him to board the plane to Portland to listen to Nike's pitch when he was a rookie, MJ followed his parents' advice and stayed put with Nike. That was perhaps the best decision Jordan ever made in his life.

Related: Michael Jordan on what he told Adidas before signing with Nike - "If you come anywhere close to what they're putting on the table, I'll sign with you guys"