‘Always going to be Chicago through and through:’ Jasmine Jordan on Jordan Brand, the importance of women in sneakers — and expanding the roster

CHICAGO — As a child, Jasmine Jordan wasn’t initially into the family shoe. She opted for what was popular for kids her age — Skechers. She never could keep a pair long, though, because once her father saw them, he would toss them. Eventually she would come to love — even favor — the sneakers made in her father’s image.

When Michael Jordan signed a deal with Nike in his rookie season with the Chicago Bulls, the brand was nowhere near as known as it is today. Adidas and Converse were at the top of the basketball shoe game, and Nike was making track shoes. Jordan’s initial contract with the company was for $500,000 per year for five years.

Today, Air Jordans are one of the most coveted sneakers in the world, and their Chicago-inspired colorways are some of the most popular. Before online sales became commonplace, people stood in lines regardless of the weather to snag a pair. Now Air Jordan collaborations sell out within minutes and are resold for more than twice the retail price.

Jordan Brand is its own entity at Nike, and a different Jordan is working to make her mark on the shoe world there — Michael’s eldest daughter, Jasmine Mickael Jordan.

“The thing about the (Jordan) 1s is that they’re so iconic,” Jasmine, 29, told the Chicago Tribune about her father’s first shoe. “You can never go wrong with them. You can dress them up. You can dress them down.

“That’s what makes it so versatile and so dynamic and that’s why no matter what, nine times out of 10 if I’m going anywhere I start with my 1s, and if the 1s aren’t fitting then I’ve got to change my fit.”

Jasmine, a Chicago Whitney Young and Syracuse graduate, works at Jordan Brand as a field rep in its sports marketing division. Despite the logo, Jasmine decided she would much rather play the background and work her way up within the company than feel as if she were given a position.

“It’s an additional pressure that I put on myself and it’s because everyone’s going to expect in some way, shape or form,” she said. “Yeah, the Jordan kids are going to show up in some manner. But at the same time, we really had the choice to.

“My older brothers are both doing their own business and are entrepreneurs and CEOs in their own right, and I’m the one that’s just falling within what’s already been created. And to do so I wanted to make sure that even though I’m stepping in those same footsteps, I’m going to have my own spin on it.”

Jasmine works with the Jordan Brand athletes who play for the Charlotte Hornets, making sure the players she represents have their sneakers and apparel — basically everything they need to get through a season. She also is helping expand the brand’s roster to include women, particularly WNBA players, including Chicago Sky point guard Dana Evans.

“It was just a matter of timing,” Jasmine said. “Coming off of the championship (in 2021), there’s no better timing than that. Dana overall embodies exactly what we like to see in our athletes and knowing that they’re so versatile and they’re so different.

“When you look at Dana, you don’t think that she’s about to be taking you to the hole and cutting you and pulling back and hitting her jumpers. She’s so skilled and so agile for being so small, and it’s something that stuck out so obviously being in the market and being our first Chicago athlete. We wanted to make sure that we did that signing with someone that was meaningful and ... essentially just fit that box perfectly.”

Before signing a player, Jasmine researches their athletic background to explore how they represent and connect to the brand. She said repping Evans was “inevitable” before connecting with Evans’ marketing manager, Gregory Jones II of G2 Hoops, to make sure it happened.

Jones, who represents Evans and Sky forward Azurá Stevens, recognizes the cachet of his client signing with Jordan Brand but also thinks working with a Black woman in the industry is of equal importance — and not just because Jasmine is Michael’s daughter.

“She works extremely hard and it shows,” Jones said of working with Jordan. ”Nothing was given to her. Jasmine is always available to talk. She’s in a unique space because she thoroughly knows the DNA of the brand.

“The main thing I like, Jasmine is a Black woman in an industry where she is truly the minority. It’s not many Black women in positions with shoe brands that help grow the business. I have worked with various brands in past years. Jasmine is the first Black woman I’ve seen that has a position/role with WNBA players and lifestyle collection. Jordan Brand is a family, and they take care of their own.”

Evans, who announced early this year that she signed with Jordan Brand, could be the Sky’s next starting point guard if Courtney Vandersloot leaves. It would make Evans, and her Air Jordans, a focal point on the court highlighting another level of importance to Jordan — women in sneakers.

“Jasmine means a lot to Jordan Brand, obviously the namesake of the brand but also on the ground to make sure WNBA athletes are getting first-class treatment,” Evans said. “It’s great seeing someone that looks like me and can relate to me on the other side of the table. Representation is key, and I hope other brands see the value Black women can bring. We need more of us in the business.”

In addition to Evans, Jordan Brand’s WNBA roster includes Arella Guirantes (Los Angeles Sparks draftee), Maya Moore (Minnesota Lynx), Kia Nurse (New York Liberty), Te’a Cooper (Sparks), Satou Sabally (Dallas Wings), Chelsea Dungee (Wings), Aerial Powers (Lynx), Asia Durr (Atlanta Dream), Crystal Dangerfield (Liberty), Jordin Canada (Sparks) and Dearica Hamby (Las Vegas Aces). Jordan Brand is represented by more women than ever.

Sneaker history is largely filled with men as storytellers and ambassadors, but Jasmine sees change coming to sneaker culture, not just at Jordan Brand. She believes it is critical to the future of both sneakers and sport that women take a more prominent role.

“The sneaker industry, along with just sports in general, is male-dominated,” Jordan said. “But that doesn’t mean that as women we don’t take up space just as much as the men do. It’s just the stigma and the stereotypes of it being male-dominated that you tend to ignore the women that are in it.

“I love the fact that we’ve been able to, as a brand and with myself a part of it, lead the charge in making sure that women feel seen and heard. And it’s not just about taking a Jordan 1 or 11 and making it pink and saying, ‘OK, great. That’s for women.’ No, you can still give us our OG colorways. Just make sure the cool gray 11s are my size. It’s an exciting time for women in sports and sneaker culture because we’re finally being heard.”

The connection between sneakers and sports is an important part of the allure of Air Jordans, and in addition to signing and uplifting women, Jasmine is passionate about maintaining and growing her father’s legacy through Jordan Brand.

Though Michael Jordan retired for the final time in 2003, Jasmine remembers some of what it was like witnessing her father’s career in Chicago and knows it is an important detail to bring forward for future generations.

“When I hear about the legacy and I hear about the elements and how it continues to grow, it’s so generational,” Jasmine said. “There’s going to be those fans that are going to constantly question and put that pressure on us to be authentic. That’s that exciting element.

“We’re still authentic, but we’ve got to evolve. Our buyers are getting younger and younger. They don’t see Michael Jordan play, they didn’t see him play. So now what piece of that legacy is going to get told, and that’s the spin I like because I can connect and relate to that.

“I remember my father playing. Do I remember going to those games? No, I was so young, but I know it was loud and it was a lot going on. I remember the pregame meals. I remember the work. I remember the sacrifices and the blood, sweat, tears, all of that equity that went into it. And from that standpoint you can get that out of the man and get that into the athletes that we’re signing.

“You can see that in our roster from WNBA all the way to NFL, and that piece of the legacy is what I really love and I desire to continue to grow because it’s really authentic to the world today while still connecting to our past and what he’s already done.”

Part of connecting with the past means Jordan keeps Chicago close. She says she’s working on a couple of projects with her brothers that will connect with their hometown and Jordan fans.

“Just know Chicago has a special place in my heart that’s always home, and I’m very excited to continue to leave the legacy there as much as I can,” she said. “I’m always going to be Chicago through and through.”