Before signing with Nike, Adidas had the chance to make Michael Jordan a very similar offer. Perhaps, in an alternate universe, the NBA star took the deal, and Adidas Jordan shoes actually became a thing. This talented designer imagines what those kicks would look like.
And the internet just can’t let the idea go. The Adidas-Jordan near-deal resurfaced online again this summer, after a viral X post reminded fans that Jordan’s mother, Deloris, pushed him to at least hear Nike’s pitch before he committed to Adidas (Yahoo Sports) — proof that four decades later, this “what if” still has teeth.
The Story That’s Resurfacing: Jordan Almost Signed With Adidas
Depending on who you ask, the Nike Air Jordan is one of the most influential sneaker brands ever. Depending on how it’s categorised, it’s also the most-sold sneaker of all time – up there with the likes of the adidas Stan Smith and Converse Chuck Taylor All-Stars.
Part of what made the Jordan brand so successful was the fact it was worn on the court by basketball legend Michael Jordan. However, in a recent segment in the Last Dance Netflix docu-series, he revealed that he was a huge fan of adidas in his youth, going out of his way to try and get signed by the brand when going pro. The documentary revealed that Michael’s mother, Deloris Jordan, convinced him to meet with Nike at their offices in Beaverton, but he still held out hope that Adidas would come around.
Of course, things didn’t quite pan out as he had hoped, and the rest is the stuff of legend. Here’s the part most retellings skip: Jordan didn’t just prefer Adidas quietly — he gave them a direct shot at matching Nike. According to former Adidas executive Gary Stokan, Jordan told him he’d sign with Adidas if they simply got close to Nike’s $2.5 million offer, no beating it required (The SportsRush). Adidas’s decision-makers balked at the number. Nike didn’t. The gap between those two decisions is the reason this “what if” still fascinates people forty years on.
Artist Eric Paullin Reimagines Every Iconic Jordan as an Adidas
A few years ago, artist Eric Paullin reimagined the iconic Jordan range, this time as an adidas Jordan collection.
The question on everyone’s lips is what things would have looked like if Michael had indeed signed with adidas. Eric Paullin, or elpaulli on Instagram, recreated some of the most iconic Jordan sneakers as adidas sneakers, and the results are pretty amazing.
The collection features various Jordan colourways over the years, paired with the adidas lettering, the original Trefoil logo of the early years and even some of the adidas technologies on its basketball sneakers to bring it home. It’s quite a decent fusion of all things Nike and adidas.
It is worth noting that it wasn’t Michael who designed the Nike Air Jordan sneakers, having only provided some feedback to some of the questions regarding their feel, cushioning, and the like.
What Would Adidas Jordans Actually Have Looked Like in 1984?
It’s worth remembering Adidas wasn’t starting from zero on basketball in 1984 — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the brand’s most prominent NBA endorser at the time, both literally and figuratively, (Basketball Network). A real Jordan deal likely would have built off that low-top, performance-first design language rather than the high-top silhouette Nike ultimately built around him — which makes Paullin’s high-top mashups more of a stylistic thought experiment than a historically grounded one, and part of why they read as fun rather than plausible.
Adidas never fully recovered the swing-and-miss. In the years since, the brand shifted its endorsement strategy toward shorter, guard-style players — signing stars like Derrick Rose and James Harden rather than chasing another Jordan-sized bet. It’s the clearest evidence of how one 1984 decision reshaped the company’s entire playbook.
Read more: Guide To Every Air Jordan Sneaker Release (1 to 39)
Why This Isn’t a Real Adidas Release (And Why It Still Works)
Any sneaker fan would know former Nike head designer Tinker Hatfield (and, of course, Peter Moore) was the genius behind the iconic collection. So, simply sticking an adidas logo on the sneakers isn’t a true reflection of a “what-if” scenario for the adidas Jordan collection. However, it’s still a fun project with very interesting results.
You can see the range of sneakers via his website at adidas-jordan.com, with more to come. What do you think about the basketball shoe collection? Not your cup of tea? Well, check out our Guide To Every Air Jordan Sneaker Release (1 to 39) to see all the official releases to date — including the Air Jordan 3 “True Blue” retro, which just returned for the first time in a decade on July 18, 2026 (WWD).
