Expanding early and often, Boardroom spoke with brand leadership to learn why Michael Jordan’s revered roundball company has amassed boundless cultural capital.
Jordan Brand is a $7 billion behemoth gaining ground in an increasingly crowded sportswear market.
From cracked concrete courts in Chicago to polished marble runways in Milan, the Jumpman emblem epitomizes excellence in any arena essentially everywhere. The namesake subsidiary started by Michael Jordan in 1997 has survived recessions and crossed continents, balancing basketball iconography and aesthetic evolution all in international unison.
Although that intersection hit its highest heights in Paris, with the brand celebrating record revenue right before the Summer Olympics, a land 11 hours east by air is where the global growth received a steroid shot 20 years back.
In the spring of 2004, the recently retired superstar with six rings to his resume and namesake sneakers on his feet was flocked by thousands of fans climbing the cages of Dongdan Park. Already an American icon in business and beloved worldwide, MJ arrived in Asia as a folk hero to seas of sobbing locals who called him ‘Flying Man,’ widely known through VHS highlights, pinned-up posters, and pined products.
“I’m here to see him, the basketball god in my heart,” a 14-year-old fan in a No. 23 jersey said at the time. “Seeing him once is worth getting up as early as five in the morning.”
Michael — five years into building his sneaker subsidiary, never having touched Chinese soil, and not knowing a lick of Mandarin — approached pandemonium so feverish that the police had to cancel the first stop of the ’04 tour. Nevertheless, the show went on as Flying Man handed out trophies to high school hoopers, scaled the Great Wall in retro attire, and introduced the massive market to the brand-new Air Jordan 19.
It all set a tone for basketball becoming the national pastime of China and a must-visit location for any entrepreneurial athlete looking to build their brand. In 2024, this plays out as Jayson Tatum, Luka Dončić, Zion Williamson, and Paolo Banchero representing the empire established by Michael.
“Basketball’s a global game and MJ played a very critical role in China,” Ari Chen, Jordan Brand’s GM of Greater China, told Boardroom. “Not just bringing the game but culture. This group of athletes is very young. Many of them it’s their first time to feel the local culture. It really is a two-way exchange.”
On the heels of the Jordan Brand family’s 2024 China tour, Boardroom spoke with brand leadership and accessed athlete insight to hear how MJ’s 40-year legacy is actively shaping youth culture in a nation of over 600 million basketball fans.
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Laying the Roots
Years before Ari Chen became Jordan Brand’s GM of Greater China, he was simply a hoops fan. Growing up in Taiwan before moving to Shanghai to work with Nike, Chen saw the influence of MJ on the market, the sport, and the culture both firsthand as a consumer and eventually behind the scenes as an exec. Around the time Jordan Brand became its own entity, signature styles started selling abroad in China.
In the days of dial-up, Chinese fans learned lessons and heard tales of all MJ accomplished on the court. Once his shoes started shipping to major markets like Beijing and Shanghai, fans found a tangible relationship with the man, his sponsor, and his sport through footwear.
“He was the person you studied as a player and he had a product in Air Jordan,” said Chen. “MJ played a critical role when Nike, Inc. entered China and grew fast. If you ask people in China about the Nike brand? They will say it’s rooted in basketball because that was the golden era when MJ was playing.”
Throughout the ’00s, Jordan Brand began opening more doors across Asia. With increased access to Air Jordans and high-speed internet disseminating high-flying highlights, basketball began to catch on like wildfire all over China.
“Everything started with the Tier Zero cities: Beijing and Shanghai,” Chen said. “But now? It’s not just those big cities; it’s connecting deeper to local culture in China, as every province has its own different culture. That’s brought a lot of cultural exchange.”
Played primarily outdoors and often in half-court fashion, basketball acts as the lifeblood of youth culture in China in some ways similar to how skateboarding exists in the States. Connection to community and proximity to the arts play as much of a role in how and why the ball bounces out East than competing for crowns or capital in America.
“In China, it’s less about organized games and more about pick-up in the park or around the corner in the neighborhood. It’s 1-on-1, 3-on-3, and 4-on-4,” said Chen. “Basketball culture is youth culture, it dominates. The play is less about system training and mastering fundamentals and more about creativity and self-expression. People try to make friends and meet community through basketball.”
An outlet for expression encouraged by the Chinese government’s push towards healthier living, basketball remains relevant in a nation with over 1.1 million courts and 95% of the action happening outdoors. Moves uploaded online of the transaction and Ballifslife variety add incessant inertia to a game that is as much exercise as it is a lifestyle.
“In China, everybody wants to stand out and show their personality,” Chen said. “People want to try new things, but basketball is still the center of those cultures — even the subcultures like music, hip-hop, and dance.”
Like Mike, the sport’s staying power across continents has been all about balancing the love of the game with curiosity across cultures.
“Basketball is and always will be the heartbeat of Jordan Brand,” Sandra Idehen, VP/GM of Global Jordan Sport, told Boardroom. “We believe that basketball can change lives. Jordan Brand has always been energized by China’s passion for basketball. We’re dedicated to the community and culture that exists there.”
So far, Jordan Brand has put dollars into their dedication by investing heavily in hoops across China. A flagship World of Flight store in Beijing stands four stories high. The famous Dongdan park hosts local streetball tournaments while the worldwide Wings initiative provides philanthropic push out East.
It’s all amassed a domino effect where NBA players across sponsors seek China for brand-building and fan connection. The ’04 trip made by Michael set a precedent for signature hoopers to follow in his footsteps with all entities experiencing the benefits.
“After his first visit in China? MJ really paved the way for the global athlete,” said Chen. “After that, more athletes visit China every year. A lot of it is through Nike and Jordan. MJ, LeBron, Kobe, Curry, everybody was trying to build a deeper connection with the consumer and the culture there, continuing to build their brand.”
All these years later, Jordan Brand has upped the ante by bringing an All-Star lineup at the peak of their powers.
Family Business
In America, youth culture congregates around merch tents at music festivals. In Asia, summer sneaker tours take the cake.
“Basketball brought me to China — which is crazy,” Zion Williamson said while on the road with Jordan Brand. “Being in China has shown me even more of the global impact that the game has. And also the global impact Mike has.”
Leading a bill headlined by the Boston Celtics champion Tatum, 2025 MVP favorite Dončić, and ascending All-Star Banchero, Williamson was wowed by the fanfare he had 7,215 miles away from his South Carolina stomping grounds.
“You see a massive poster and you’re up there? It’s a blessing,” Williamson said.
Taking photos with fans and playing pickup, each athlete had the chance to endear not just Jordan Brand but their personal following abroad. Chen said the athletes, specifically Williamson and Banchero, grew their respective fanbases “a lot” by showing their personalities throughout the tour.
“The passion from the fans is unmatched,” the 21-year-old Banchero said weeks ago in China. “A guy gave me a gift today that had pictures of me that I hadn’t seen in years.”
In a land where 600 million basketball fans exist to express themselves, personality and cultural exchange are paramount.
“I never thought I’d be at the Great Wall of China,” Tatum said. “Understanding the impact that Mike had on the game, on culture, on the world? Being with these three guys and the other athletes on the brand pushes you to be better.”
“They appreciate basketball here so much,” Dončić added after bringing two fans to tears.
“The players that really commit to Greater China? People are super respectful of them,” Chen said. “A lot of top players visit pretty frequently regardless of which brand. But a lot of consumers haven’t been able to meet this many athletes all together. When they’re together? It brings a cool vibe and chemistry that people can see.”
In a sense, Jordan Brand is building a home team of its own in China. Although Team China guard Guo Ailun is a member of the Jumpman family, it’s still NBA talent that tracks most significantly in China as opposed to CBA athletes. The lack of local loyalty makes signature stars like Tatum, Luka, and Zion even more marketable across Asia.
“In the States, people have home teams, strong heritage, and rivalries,” Chen said. “In China, people follow the players more than a team. They’re not feeling the hometown connection so they look up to the individual. The players that they can relate to? They get really popular.”
This was true for Michael Jordan two decades ago. After hanging up his sneakers in DC, his trip to China helped take Jordan Brand from a $300 million annual earner to $500 million in 2004.
Twenty years later, this investment in not just the Chinese market but Chinese basketball culture has helped the company amass over $7 billion in revenue and introduce a new generation of feverish fans to a quartet of All-Stars in their early to mid-20s.
“It’s a big family that carries the same spirit of greatness,” Chen said. “They continue to amplify the pursuit of greatness [that] was MJ with his tour 20 years ago, but now, it’s much bigger than that.”
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