Mike Bibby is popular for his role as the starting point guard of the Sacramento Kings during the Kings' rivalry with the Los Angeles Lakers during the early 2000s.
But aside from that, Bibby was also one of the earliest members of the 'Jordan Team.' The group was an elite pack personally selected by MJ to be the ambassadors of his Jordan Brand .
Long after his retirement, Mike continues to reap the benefits of being a 'Jordan Team' member. During his recent appearance on The OGs Show, the former Arizona Wildcat talked about how MJ and his brand have always taken care of the members.
"They take care of me," said Bibby. "They always take care of me, man."
A unique compensation package
While Bibby never got a signature shoe from the Jordan Brand, he wore some of the coolest Player Exclusive silhouettes of MJ's shoes. Bib retired in 2012, but long after his retirement, he remains a member of the 'Jordan Team,' although he is compensated differently.
During an interview with Complex , the 2nd overall pick of the 1998 NBA Draft revealed that after he retired, the brand agreed to retain him but on a different compensation. Instead of getting a monetary contract, Bibby received what he called a 'good amount' of Jordan shoes and gear every year.
"I'm grateful to be part of that because, you know, a lot of these shoe companies don't take care of their OGs and stuff to help them bring up the brand," added Mike. "I know he doesn't need nobody to help him sell this, but it's just good to be part of something so big and so special."
Related: Michael Jordan opens up about his older brother Larry not making the NBA: "He has always been a good player, but he just didn't grow enough"
Bibby did not want to get dunked on by a rookie LeBron in a Nike commercial
While he was still one of the Jordan Brand's top shoe endorsers, Nike asked Bib to be part of the company's first advertisement for rookie LeBron James . Since Bibby's Kings were LeBron's first NBA opponent, they promoted King James' debut with a commercial titled 'Pressure.' In that ad, LBJ was supposed to dunk on Mike but the 'Jordan Team' member did not agree to that .
"I was in his first commercial, guarding him," said Bibby. "At first, Nike wanted to show him blowing by me and dunking. I said, 'No, no, no. I'm not going to be in a commercial showing a rookie blowing by me and dunking. We ain't gonna do that."
Nike ended up giving in to Bibby's demand, as the scene just blacks out when LeBron starts his dribble in the actual advertisement. However, there has been no blackout whatsoever in the Jordan Brand's support of its OGs, and Mike can attest to that.
Related: Mike Bibby was warned '02 series vs. Lakers could be rigged: "If they bring in this crew, it's not gonna go the way we like"
Most Popular
Comments / 0