Sonny Vaccaro, Who Is Famous for Orchestrating Nike’s Deal With Michael Jordan, Urges Big Brands to Sign Victor Wembanyama – “Not Five Years From Now”

Sonny Vaccaro was a legend in the sports world between the 80s and early 2000s. While players like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant were on the rise for their work, the business executive was the reason behind several monumental endorsement deals. A few of his deals were extremely successful but none of them came close to what Sonny and Jordan were able to do.

The 83-year-old brokered the deal between Nike and the greatest basketball player of all time. At one point, landing a deal with MJ seemed impossible. Vaccaro pulled a lot of strings and made the best of what was at his disposal to convince Jordan’s parents to get him to meet with Nike. Mike was never interested in the brand nor were they remotely on his radar. He wanted to sign with Adidas.

Nike conditions for rookie Michael Jordan contract:

– Either be rookie of the year.
OR
– Average 20 points
OR
– Be an All-Star
OR
– Sell $4 millions worth shoes in a year

That rookie year
All-Star
Rookie of the Year
28.2 points per game
Sold $100 million in shoes#NBA pic.twitter.com/vup0nyu6qr

— The Jordan Rules (@Rules23Jordan) May 31, 2023

They eventually convinced Jordan to sign a $2.5 million five-year contract which brought them $126 million in returns during the first year. Now, the endorsement is worth billions and is a completely separate entity under Nike. Jordan Brand is still very popular among fans and athletes as well. Sonny shared some valuable advice to companies during his interview with Vanity Fair.

Sonny Vaccaro believes Victor Wembanyama can be a game-changer for any shoe company

During his interview, he briefly explained the mindset that helped Jordan reach massive heights. He claimed that MJ was always determined to achieve more than what he would usually agree on doing. Sonny Vaccaro claimed that his former business partner signed with Nike with the mindset of becoming an owner of the brand at some point.

Similarly, he advised companies to invest in players such as Victor Wembanyama. He said, “If I’m Victor’s agent, I want a piece of it right now. Not five years from now to see if he makes the All-Star team. He’s in a place now to own a piece of somebody. And if I’m a new company, I sign him. ’Cause he’s supposed to be damn good.”

Victor Wembanyama sidestep three over a 7’3 guy💀pic.twitter.com/LAFbdqgqIY

— 🏀 (@basketwrld1) June 4, 2023

It’s because of Victor’s popularity that Vaccaro advised companies to take advantage of and make the most out of it. Wembanyama is the projected No.1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. The young superstar has shown the potential of becoming like the Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordans of the league. It would be interesting to see how shoe companies and other brands take up Victor’s emergence.