Sonny Vaccaro (Part 1)

In my fourth and final conversation with Sonny Vaccaro we discuss his career after leaving Nike, including his efforts to sign both Kobe Bryant and LeBron James for Adidas, which features an interesting discussion of the similarities between Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. We also discuss Vaccaro's role as a consultant on the movie Air, including the feedback he provided related to Matt Damon's wardrobe. Finally, the conversation is capped off by a discussion of Vaccaro's enduring role and legacy of helping athletes secure their own NIL rights.

In my third conversation with Sonny Vaccaro, we discuss his impressions of the meeting at Nike headquarters with Michael and his family, the negotiations between Rob Strasser and David Falk to sign Jordan, and his exit from Nike in August of 1991.

In the second part of my conversation with Sonny Vaccaro, we discuss the "hunch" that Vaccaro had about Michael Jordan after watching him play at the 1982 NCAA Championship Game in New Orleans. We also discuss the meeting in the Spring of 1984 in which Vaccaro met with Nike's Rob Strasser and Howard Slusher to discuss the brand's basketball strategy moving forward, a meeting that was portrayed in Air. He also details the first time he met Jordan at Tony Roma's in Santa Monica during training camp for the Olympics in the summer of 1984, and the occurrence at the end of that meeting that Vaccaro felt was pivotal to Nike's ability to sign Jordan. "It intrigued the hell out of him," explains Vaccaro.

In part one of my conversation with legendary Nike, Adidas, and Reebok executive Sonny Vaccaro, we discuss how a scholarship football player who never played a down at Youngstown State University created the first high school basketball all-star game and became one of the most influential shoe executives in history.

In my fourth and final conversation with the late Peter Moore, we discuss Michael Jordan's evolution as a brand, Moore's original vision for the Jumpman, his exit from Nike, and his take on the rumors that he and Rob Strasser plotted to steal Michael Jordan away from Nike.

In the third part of my conversation with Peter Moore, we discuss Nike's reaction to the NBA banning the Jordan 1 in October of 1984, as well as the fervor the release of the shoe created once it was finally at retail. We then pivot to a discussion of some of the changes he worked to institute to Nike's brand identity, the hiring of Nike's longtime advertising agency Wieden & Kennedy, and the genesis of one of Nike's best-known campaigns featuring Michael Jordan, the Spike Lee-directed campaign starring Mars Blackmon.

In part two of my conversation with Peter Moore, we discuss the meeting that served as the centerpiece of the movie Air at Nike headquarters with Michael Jordan and his family, the materials that Moore had produced prior to the meeting, and the famous photo shoot in Chicago that ultimately served as the genesis of a $5 billion brand, the Jumpman.

In this trailer for the “Be Like Mike” podcast, I describe the goal of the project and what you'll have to look forward to should you choose to subscribe. Music courtesy of Shafer/Antelis Music. "Be Like Mike" is a registered trademark of Jensen & Associates, LLC.

Episode 1 of the "Be Like Mike" podcast features part one of an interview with a visionary and creative genius in the fields of advertising, branding, marketing, and design, the late Peter Moore. These first episodes serve as a tribute to the many contributions of Moore, who not only designed the original Air Jordan and Jumpman logos and the Jordan One sneaker, but later served as President of Adidas North America.