Michael Jordan is arguably one of the greatest basketball players of all time in the NBA. Recently, Jordan celebrated his 60th birthday on February 17. He helped in spreading smiles with a huge donation to mark his special day. The Chicago Bulls drafted Jordan 3rd overall in the 1984 NBA Draft. Unlike many, he didn’t get picked as the No.1. Nonetheless, Jordan spent his career at the top of the NBA and popularised the game.
Michael during his entire career in the NBA was given many nicknames. Some are MJ, His Airness, Air Jordan, and the list goes on. However, not many are aware that Jordan was popular among the players as the ‘Black Cat’. To this day, the Jordan sneaker line has many sneakers, in a colorway named after his nickname, “Black Cat.”
During his career, Jordan was known for his incredible athleticism, competitiveness, and clutch performances in high-pressure situations. He was a 14-time NBA All-Star, a 10-time NBA scoring champion, and a five-time NBA MVP. He also won two Olympic gold medals as a member of the US men’s basketball team in 1984 and 1992. Michael Jordan won 6 NBA titles with the Chicago Bulls, in an unrepeatable manner which came to be known as ‘Repeat Three-Peat’.
“By the guys in the league, he was called the ‘Black Cat,'” Said Footwear’s Vice President, Gentry Humphrey “If you think about how he moved on the court, he was pretty relentless. Very smooth, stealthlike, but could strike at any time. It was a pretty good analogy for a player that moved like that.” Humphrey told ESPN. However, this nickname is not very popular outside NBA players. The ‘Black Cat‘ nickname is used by his best basketball friends.
When did Michael Jordan get the nickname “Black Cat”?
Tinker Hatfield, Nike’s special projects ice president brought the nickname, “Black Cat”, to light after accidentally stumbling upon it. It was back in 1997, that Hatfield brought back Jordan’s nickname. Hatfield was one of the most influential shoe designers at Nike. He came out with the design of the first air max running shoes and is responsible for Air Jordan 3.
Hatfield explains brilliantly how he came up with the idea of Jordan as a ‘Black Cat’. “He moved like a cat, with feline movements but he conserved energy,” said Hatfield. “A cat does that very well. It’ll be chilled down but on a moment’s notice, he can turn it on. Jordan plays basketball like that, with grace and smoothness. But he strikes in ferocious ways. Like a Black Cat, I took that inspiration for his next shoe design. Sleek, powerful but lean, nothing extra.” Continued Hatfield.
Designed by Tinker Hatfield, the Air Jordan 13 features overtures to Jordan’s “Black Cat” nickname with a dotted embroidered upper to mimic the base of a panther’s whiskers and a “panther’s paw” outsole. https://t.co/70NXhGVvw1 pic.twitter.com/tCgVOI7FEY
— Stadium Goods (@stadiumgoods) May 11, 2020
Hatfield worked on the upcoming Jordan 13s and went to Los Angeles, where His Airness would be there for a commercial. He showed the sample to Jordan, “Then there was a tear in his eye. ‘How did you know that’s what they called me? says Jordan. ‘That’s what they called me back in Wilmington’,” said Hatfield.
Later Jordan 13, the Black Cat edition was launched in 1997, the year when Jordan Brand would be launched to the world. Hence, it could be said that Jordan’s life came around after all the hard work. Even his nickname which he had in Wilmington, caught the eye of one of the best shoe designers at Nike.
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