Air Jordan

The only way to say goodbye to a legend

When Michael Jordan retired in 2003, it wasn’t just the end of a career. It was the end of an era. Six championships. Five MVPs. A cultural impact that stretched far beyond basketball. Jordan didn’t just play the game. He changed it. And when he walked away, there was a void that needed honoring. Not with something heavy and somber. With something that felt true to everything he and the brand had built together.

The insight was about history. Jordan’s partnership with Spike Lee’s Mars Blackmon character had become legendary in its own right. “It’s gotta be the shoes!” Those ads didn’t just sell sneakers. They defined a generation of sports marketing. If we were going to say goodbye to Jordan on the court, Mars had to be part of it.

I helped shape the “Goodbye Mars” commercial. Spike came back as Mars one last time, pestering Jordan, refusing to accept that it was really over. It was funny. It was nostalgic. And underneath the humor, there was real emotion. Two icons, one last moment together. The ad didn’t try to sum up everything Jordan meant to basketball. It just reminded people why they loved watching him in the first place.

The campaign sparked conversations about Jordan’s legacy and what Air Jordan would mean going forward. It celebrated the end while setting up the future. Because the shoes weren’t retiring. Just the man. And even then, legends never really leave.