A lot has changed since the '80s. Adidas, Converse and Reebok used to dominate the sneaker market with athlete deals from Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Dr. J. But then the greatest basketball player of all time decided to put his full weight and energy behind branding his own shoe for Nike, who were an afterthought at the time, and created the Air Jordan.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Today, things look very different, as both Nike and the Jordan brand are collectively the world's most popular sneaker. They make up almost a third of the entire market, leaving Vans, New Balance and Moonstar well behind in the distance when it comes to selling athletic footwear and shoes.
You can see how the massive growth started by the time Michael began winning with the Chicago Bulls in the early '90s, and then things really picked up as more and more athletes signed with the Jordan brand in the 2000s.
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Most popular sneaker brands
Nike's global revenue
