At his celebrity golf tournament in NC, Michael Jordan
said on Friday that he was "leaning" toward retirement,
according to Terry Armour of the CHICAGO TRIBUNE. Jordan:
"I don't want to start over, and I'm pretty sure losing Phil
[Jackson] is a sign of that. I can tell you where my mind
is leaning, in some respects. I don't want (to be part of)
a rebuilding process" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 6/27).
AN IMPACT ON SALES? While some market analysts wonder
if Jordan's appeal will diminish if he retires from
basketball, Jordan-endorsed products "are selling out, with
others in the pipeline ready for shipment to stores,"
according to Quwan Spears of the SACRAMENTO BEE. While the
NBA prepares to "shut down" over labor problems, Spears
wrote, "the Jordan Express shows no sign of slowing down.
If anything, sales are growing stronger." Nike spokesperson
Vizhier Mooney said that while the company is concerned that
an NBA lockout could "slow sales of Air Jordan shoes," it is
confident that Jordan will still appeal to consumers "long
after he retires." Spears noted that the latest Air Jordan
sneaker sold out in many Sacramento stores in one day. Pepe
Tejada, Foot Locker Manager: "On an average day, we get
about five calls about his shoes ... but since the end of
the NBA Finals, we're about 15 to 20 [calls] a day. We make
about $6,000 to $7,000 on an average day. On a day Jordan
releases a new shoe, we make about $35,000" (BEE, 6/27).
