25-05-2025
Michael Jordan promised to go visit Nike's sweatshops in Asia: "I just want to see for myself"
During the 1990s, Nike became controversial after complaints that its Southeast Asia-contracted shoe factories operated sweatshops that exploited workers. Although the matter only involved the Swoosh Brand, Michael Jordan became indirectly involved because he was the company's top endorser.
Jordan's interest in the issue grew after, in September 1997, Nike created a separate division called Jordan Brand to cater to all MJ-related footwear and apparel, including the top-selling Air Jordan sneakers.
With his name attached to the controversy, the Chicago Bulls superstar addressed the subject during an interview with the late Stuart Scott on the day of Game 3 of the 1998 NBA Finals.
"I just want to see for myself," said Jordan, confirming that he planned to visit the factories during the upcoming offseason. "A lot of the complaints were being made, and I think one of the good things that happened was Phil shed some more light on it by stepping up and saying 'Okay, we can improve these scenarios in these countries.' And you know, that's all good and fine. But that should not deteriorate my appetite to see what's being talked about."
A month before MJ's interview with Scott, Nike founder Phil Knight finally gave in to a long-standing request to allow labor and human rights group representatives to join the company's independent auditors while inspecting the factories in Asia. Knight also vowed to end child labor and apply U.S. rules there.
But Jordan's plan to travel to Asia didn't materialize that summer — there is no evidence that he traveled to Vietnam, Indonesia or China during that period for that purpose.
During his interview with Scott, MJ also mentioned making it a point to check on the Jordan Brand factories after retirement. But he did not make his first trip to the Chinese capital until 2004, after his third and final NBA retirement. The trip was officially to promote his brand, not to visit 2002 and 2004, Nike made 600 factory audits, including repeat visits to problematic locations. A year later, the Beaverton, Oregon giant became the first company to publish a complete list of the factories with which it has contracts and make public a 108-page report detailing the findings from its three-year audit. The Swoosh's commitment to value human rights is also evident on its official website.
"NIKE focuses on building relationships with suppliers who share our commitment to respect human rights and are investing in their workforces. NIKE's expectations for suppliers starts with our Code of Conduct and Code of Leadership Standards. NIKE's Code of Conduct is aligned with international standards and contains the foundational requirements all suppliers must meet in producing NIKE-branded products," per
With its current factories still in Asia, accusations still come up occasionally, but not like the '90s sweatshop scandal that really rocked the Swoosh Brand. Today, Nike remains the industry leader, with Jordan Brand still being its best-performing division.
