Michael Jordan is interviewed by Allison Samuels in the
current NEWSWEEK to discuss the launch of his new Nike brand
last week, among other topics. Jordan, on his relationship
with Nike: "It's not rare for my Nike (design team) to come
out to my house and just kick it with me for a while. ...
[J]ust to get a better definition of who I am, so they can
transfer that to the product." While Jordan said the high
cost of Air Jordan shoes "bothered me," he added that
consumers can now chose from "a variety of Jordan shoes at
different prices" with the new Jordan line. Starting this
year, Jordan will also donate a percentage of Air Jordan
revenues to youth charities. Regarding the rising salary
demands by young NBA players, Jordan said, "I am always pro-
player when it comes to money." On Kevin Garnett asking for
$22M a year, Jordan said: "I think they're paying him for
his potential. If he lives up to it, great. If he doesn't,
well, I still support him, because they wouldn't give it to
him if they couldn't (afford) it" (NEWSWEEK, 9/22 issue).
MJ's Nike brand is No. 13 on ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY's "Hot
Sheet" for the week: "Nike is producing his line of
clothing. But would you buy a tie with a pump?" (EW, 9/19).
