Why Kobe Bryant was so important to the NBA

LOS ANGELES -- It's not the where of Kobe Bryant so much as the when. We get so caught up in rankings that we don't think of timing. The polarizing properties of Kobe mean the arguments over his place among the NBA greats will continue long into his retirement, so let's take a moment to discuss the one element that's not up for debate: He was the NBA's most important player from 2000 to 2009.

Kobe was the bridge from the Michael Jordan era until the likes of LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry took control. Maybe Shaquille O'Neal was more dominant and Tim Duncan provided a more consistent foundation for championships, but Kobe's greatness and popularity made him the most important -- both for the fans and the wave of players that followed him into the league.

"Kobe was my Jordan," said Paul George, who had been on the planet for just more than a year when Jordan won his first championship in 1991. "I didn't really have many moments of watching Jordan, but Kobe was my Jordan. Watching him winning championships, I remember just being at home with my mom, with my grandma, with my dad, just idolizing him. After the game was over, I'd go in the front yard and try to imitate everything I just saw.

"I'm not saying he's better than Jordan, but for me, growing up, that's who I idolized and looked up to. That was the standard. He was the best player, and it wasn't close."

George has been great at putting things in full context lately, lest he be subjected to a barrage of #wellactually tweets, and he framed this one perfectly. Just because Kobe wasn't Jordan it didn't mean he wasn't Jordan-like, that he didn't have just as big an impact to younger folks whose memories of the NBA exist only in HDTV transmissions.

Kobe was the one to bring the lessons he learned from Jordan to the new generation and to inspire them the way he once drew inspiration from Jordan.

Sunday night, in a postgame news conference held to follow up on his retirement announcement in The Players' Tribune, Bryant mentioned some of the players he still speaks to and the lessons he tries to impart. He name-checked Durant,Damian Lillard, C.J. McCollum, James Harden and Kyrie Irving. Like an elderly man who gets excited simply when a younger person bothers to listen to him, he sounded appreciative that they're willing to hear his talking points.

"That means more to me than anything else," Kobe said. "The impact, the mentality, the aggression, the work ethic."

"Aggression" was the word that stood out to me. That's the mentality he specifically took from Jordan, who told him during the first All-Star meeting that Bryant needed to stay aggressive. At first Bryant thought it was unnecessary advice. Of course he'd be aggressive. But as the weeks passed and the games mounted --- back-to-backs, four in five nights, the full grind of the NBA schedule -- Bryant realized how challenging it could be to maintain that aggression.

He made it his signature trait. It's why, in recent years, he has listed Russell Westbrook as the young player who reminds him of himself.

The other legacy Bryant carried from Jordan was TV appeal. The 2004 NBA Finals with the Los Angeles Lakers and Detroit Pistons is the highest rated since Jordan's last Finals appearance in 1998. From 2000 to 2010, the only four Finals that drew double-digit TV ratings all had one star in common: Kobe Bryant.

"Kobe was my Jordan. I didn't really have many moments of watching Jordan, but Kobe was my Jordan."

Paul George

Kobe kept the league's glamour franchise in the spotlight. That meant not only sellouts at Staples Center and a gigantic local TV rights deal for the Lakers, it meant tickets sold in every arena the Lakers visited and jerseys sold around the globe.

"Our exposure worldwide, the TV deals and the marketing ..." Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said, attempting to frame Kobe's impact. "I can't say you can pin it all on Kobe, but certainly when we go from city to city, every building we go into there are three or four thousand Lakers fans there with No. 24 jerseys on, even in the arenas where we're most hated. And to me, he's a universal sports celebrity. Really transcends athletics. How do you quantify that kind of success and how do you relate that to the success of the NBA? I think it goes hand in hand."

You can't look at the financial health of the league, the exorbitant franchise valuations and national TV rights fees without acknowledging the role Kobe played in it. You can't see the stars of today, even the ones who have surpassed Kobe and expanded the possibilities of greatness, and not acknowledge the distance marker he represented on their journey.

As Kobe's own NBA journey comes to an end, he values process more than results. He referenced the beauty of these ugly last days, because the noticeable drop-off in his skills means he hit great heights in the first place. He enjoys simply being in the conversation with Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, even if he isn't universally proclaimed the Greatest Laker ahead of them.

He might not have their place. He knows he had his time.

Just like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant retired with a farewell letter to basketball

Kobe Bryant always studied Michael Jordan's game. That continued even to his retirement letter.

Kobe Bryant announced his retirement at the end of the season via an open letter to basketball, posted at The Players Tribune. It was a poignant way for one of the NBA's greatest players to tell the world that he's hanging it up.

You know who also chose an open letter to basketball to signal his retirement? Michael Jordan. On April 20, 2003, Nike took out a full-page ad in several Sunday newspapers across the country with a letter purportedly written by MJ. He wasn't announcing his retirement -- he'd done that much earlier in the year, and in fact, he'd already played his last game -- but the letter was his final goodbye.

Jordan's full letter is no longer available -- just news articles with excerpts and a message board posting with the text to the article and a now-dead link to Nike's website.

But Kobe's goodbye message is pretty similar to Jordan's. Here's the beginning of Kobe's letter:

Dear Basketball,
From the moment
I started rolling my dad's tube socks
And shooting imaginary
Game-winning shots
In the Great Western Forum
I knew one thing was real:
I fell in love with you.

Here's Jordan:

Dear Basketball,

It's been almost 28 years since the first day we met. 28 years since I saw you in the back of our garage. 28 years since my parents introduced us.

If someone would have told me then, what would become of us, I'm not sure I would have believed them. I barely remembered your name.

Both of them treated their relationship with the sport like a relationship with a real human. Kobe:

I'm ready to let you go. I want you to know now

So we both can savor every moment we have left together.

The good and the bad.

We have given each other

All that we have.

And Jordan:

I know I'm not the only one who loves you. I know you have loved many before me and will love many after me. But, I also know what we had was unique. It was special. So as our relationship changes yet again, as all relationships do, one thing is for sure. I love you, Basketball. I love everything about you and I always will. My playing days in the NBA are definitely over, but our relationship will never end.

Bryant is a well-known student of Jordan's game and career. I find it rather improbable that Bryant would plan out a farewell message with no idea that Jordan had previously done the same thing.

MJ Makes More Money Now (Yearly) than Entire NBA Career

Michael Jordan is the highest-paid retired athlete, earning more off his shoes than the $95 million he banked during his 15-year playing career.

*ESPN is reporting that Michael Jordan made more money last year selling his signature kicks than in his entire career playing basketball for the Bulls and Wizards from 1984 to 2003. PBS confirmed the report in an infographic that shows Jordan makes more than $100 million per year off royalties from his Nike Air Jordan brand.

The graphic below shows Jordan is the highest-paid retired athlete, earning more off his shoes than the $95 million he banked during his 15-year playing career.

As ESPN notes, “these figures are not adjusted for inflation; based on his numbers from Basketball-Reference and the Bureau of Labor Statistics inflation calculator, Jordan made nearly $100 million in 2014 dollars during his three-year stint after his first retirement (1995-96 through 1997-98).”

Matt Powell, a sport industry analyst from NPD Group and contributor to Forbes, estimates that in the U.S., Nike and subsidiary Jordan Brand account for more than 90 percent of basketball shoe sales. Americans spend about $34 billion dollars a year on sneakers between June 2014 and June 2015, of that amount, Michael’s line of Nike Air Jordans raked in $100 million.

It was reported in August that Jordan made $75.5 million from endorsement deals in 2012, which is more than any active NBA player.

Recently a jury at a civil trial ordered a grocery-store chain to pay Jordan nearly $10 million after using his identity on a coupon for steaks.

“I’m so used to playing on a different court,” Jordan told reporters outside the courthouse. “This shows I will protect my name to the fullest. … It’s my name and I worked hard for it … and I’m not just going to let someone take it.”

In March, Jordan came in at 1741st on Forbes magazine’s annual list of the world’s richest people, with a $1.4 billion net worth.

Michael Jordan's Near Miss Trade to LA Clippers, Bulls Doubted Jordan's Talent

Back in 1984 and 1988, the Chicago Bulls had potential trade discussions with the Los Angeles Clippers regarding a possibility of sending Michael Jordan to Los Angeles.  Even though Jordan ended up winning six championships with the Chicago Bulls, his greatness was once questioned. Not once, but twice the Clippers attempted to land Jordan, which would've ultimately sabotaged the Bulls' reign.

As reported by Bleacher Report, back in 1984, when trade discussions were being made in reference to the second draft pick of the Bulls, which was obviously Michael Jordan, Chi-town originally had their eyes on L.A.'s Terry Cummings, a 6'9" power forward who averaged approximately 23 points per game. Cummings was also born and raised in Chicago, which made a trade for him quite tempting. This trade involved a three-team deal, which was to include the Dallas Mavericks, could have allowed the Bulls to gain Cummings, and would have presumably led the Clippers to add Jordan to their franchise.

According to Clips Nation, the second time a potential Jordan trade to the Clippers resurfaced was during the 1988 season. This is when Chicago was having doubts in Jordan's irreplaceable talent. Chi-town felt that Jordan's style of place would not suffice for the Bulls to win multiple championships, due to the team's 4-15 record in the playoffs during Jordan's first four seasons with the Bulls.

As per FanSided's Cliperholics, this is when the Clippers offered an "any combination of five players and/or draft picks," deal. Los Angeles had the number 1 and number 6 draft picks during the 1988 season, and according to Sam Smith's book, The Jordan Rules, Donald Sterling was vigorously looking for a player who was on the same level as Magic Johnson of the L.A. Lakers, for headlines. This led back to the Clippers' desperation for Jordan.

(Photo : Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images)

At this time, the Bulls were on the verge of being eliminated in the playoffs by the Detroit Pistons.And the Bulls management was taking into consideration the fact that they believed the team would "never win a title because Jordan's style of one-on-one play eliminated the other players as contributors." But since Jordan attracted the fans, which led to the purchasing of merchandise and tickets, the Bulls owner, Jerry Reinsdorf, couldn't let Jordan go.

Imagine if Jordan had been traded to the Clippers... the Clippers could've actually had a chance to play in the NBA playoffs, which they've never been able get into. But at the same time, the Chicago Bulls would've never won six back-to-back championships either.

By this measure, Michael Jordan can't touch LeBron James

IN THE FIRST 239 days of 2015, 185 black men were murdered in the city of Baltimore. In post-Katrina New Orleans, FiveThirtyEight concluded, black residents are more likely to live in poverty than before the hurricane 10 years ago. The Washington Post recently released data indicating that every nine days, on average, American police kill an unarmed black man. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a 9.1 percent black unemployment rate for July, nearly twice the rate of whites.

White America grows exasperated by the insistence that race still matters, but these facts are a neon sign pointing not at post-racialism but to an entrenched underclass. In Akron, Ohio, hometown of LeBron James, the black poverty rate is 28 percent, 12 points higher than the state average. To James, the numbers are not just a topic, ammunition for winning an argument, but statistical recognition of his life before fame. Days after the anniversary protests marking Michael Brown's death in Ferguson, Missouri, James partnered with the University of Akron and countered the numbers with other numbers, pledging $41 million to send as many as 2,000 at-risk Akron kids to college.

It was a massive initiative, a reminder that, in addition to protest and pressure, the rhetoric of pulling oneself up by one's bootstraps means nothing without boots. It was also something else: proof that James is the signature socially conscious athlete of his time. By this measure he need not aspire to be Michael Jordan. He's already run right past him.

James and Dwyane Wade organized the first athlete protest of the killing of Trayvon Martin. James used his power to rally players and challenge the NBA to be decisive on Donald Sterling. James wore an i can't breathe shirt in warm-ups to show solidarity with young black men disposable to society because they lack his talent. Instead of blaming hip-hop or admonishing the less fortunate, he confronted the "dead or in jail" narrative that permeates black male life with a real program backed by real money. He wrote an enormous check as part of staring down a bitter truth: If "dead or in jail" is as good as it gets for black boys who don't have a blinding 40-yard dash time or a bull's-eye jumper, then at this late date in the American story, integration has been a colossal failure.

James does not live independent of his environment, and neither did Jordan. James is in the prime of his youth and earning power amid national protest and Black Lives Matter. His generation is not a new target of police brutality; it is the latest edition of the same old target. He grew up witnessing the collision between the progress of some and the dead ends for most of the kids who look like him, at a time when the term "post-racial" sounds not only ridiculous but naive. America could not be more racial than it is right now.

Jordan, meanwhile, came of age during the most comprehensive wave of conservatism in the 20th century, a political retrenchment that followed the sweeping social ambition of Lyndon Johnson. Jordan was 15 when the Supreme Court struck down minority set-asides in the landmark Bakke case, limiting affirmative action, and 18 when President Ronald Reagan fired 11,000 striking air traffic controllers. Jordan's 1980s were a market correction of the 1960s, not a time of protest or challenge but one of accumulating individual wealth while Great Society, labor union and New Deal gains and attitudes were being scaled back. Jordan's time was when money was celebrated as the only measure. Greed is good.

The similarities between James and Jordan end when their shared No. 23 jersey rests on a hanger, for Jordan has never been known for a single courageous social act. While James attempts to bridge the powerless to a future, Jordan sued a defunct supermarket chain and won $8.9 million over an advertisement that reportedly yielded all of $4. (Jordan said he planned to donate the money to charity.)

James has accepted a challenge of his times so foreign to the 1980s, making him an heir not to Jordan but to the civil rights movement, to Jim Brown and Bill Russell, to the idea of the athlete as activist. Every day of his career has existed under the shadow of Jordan, but as citizen, LeBron does not look up to Michael. It should be the other way around.

How Not to Get Sued By Michael Jordan, or Any Celeb, Over a Simple Congrats Ad What brands can learn from one grocery chain's cautionary tale By Marty Swant

Can you get sued for wishing a celebrity well?

It might seem innocuous, but using an ad to congratulate an athlete or another big name can earn brands their very own personal thank-you—a subpoena.

Last month, a jury decided that Safeway—the parent company of now-defunct supermarket chain Dominick's—must pay $8.9 million to Jordan after using the basketball star's name in an ad placed in Sports Illustrated.

The ad ran in a 2009 Sports Illustrated commemorative issue marking Jordan's induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The ad included a $2-off coupon for steaks. (Jordan says he plans to donate the $8.9 million to charity.)

It's not the first time a celebrity has sued a company that used his or her name in an ad.Vanna White once sued Samsung for featuring a letter-turning game-show robot wearing a blond wig. Bette Midler sued Ford over a vocal sound-alike. Tom Waits sued Frito-Lay. More recently, Kim Kardashian sued Old Navy. Even Cliff and Norm from Cheers have sued Cheers bars over robots made in their likeness.

Although the Safeway suit isn't entirely novel, legal experts say it's a reminder that offering congrats isn't entirely innocuous—if you're selling a product in the process.

"It's one thing to say 'Hey, congratulations, Michael Jordan,'" said Frank Caprio, a patent and trade law attorney at Bradley Arant Boult Cummings. "I don't know if I would be subject to any sort of liability. But if I said ,'Congratulations, Michael Jordan. I'm a big fan. Come buy a car at my dealership,' then you're getting into trouble."

Legal risks aside, congratulating an athlete or another star might not even be worth it, said Michael Dunn, CEO of brand consultancy Prophet. He said it can lead to a slippery slope if an attempt doesn't feel authentic or relevant.

"I think a lot of brands shy away from it because of all of the risks that are manifesting themselves in this case," Dunn said. "And I also don't think it's a very proven way to invest your money and time."

Dunn said if the celebrity isn't already a part of a brand's storytelling, an agency should ask: What is the reason for supporting them now?

"They look more like an opportunistic brand trying to take advantage of someone else's success where they have no role in it," he said. "They shouldn't have been a part of the conversation, and when it feels like that to consumers, it turns people off."

Jordan's case revolved around the grocery chain's violation of the Illinois Right of Publicity Act, which outlines an individual's right to control and choose how his or her identity is used for commercial purposes.

Ben Mulcahy, a partner in the entertainment, technology and advertising practice group at Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP, said most states have their own version of the statute or have common law that covers similar territory.

Mulcahy said right of publicity law is expanding as media channels expand. So, how can brands hop on the celebrity celebratory bandwagon without getting a multimillion-dollar bill in the mail?

The safest thing, of course, is to stay off the court.

"The line is that it's incredibly risky under any scenario to use the name, voice or likeness of another person without authorization if the use is in a commercial context," he said. "So, any context that is reasonably likely to be characterized as commercial speech under the First Amendment is going to lay the foundation for a right of publicity claim."

Mulcahy said the Jordan dispute was bifurcated by two issues. The first: whether it was commercial or noncommercial use under the First Amendment's protection of free speech. The second: establishing liability because of the commercial use of someone's name, voice or likeness.

Caprio said using another person's name or image is like using another company's trademark.

"Let's say it was Tom Brady and there was some product that had to do something with inflation or deflation and you wanted to conjure up the image of Tom Brady inflating or deflating tires," he said. "I think you're inclined to really get hammered for that."

Michael Jordan answers every question you could ever think to ask

When Michael Jordan isn't hooking up campers with fresh sneakers, he's answering every question you'd ever want to ask him.

At the 20th annual Michael Jordan Flight School in Santa Barbara, Calif., Jordan tackled everything: Shaq's opinion on the all-time Bulls team vs. the all-time Lakers,  playing LeBron James or Steph Curry in one-on-one. He talks about which coach, Dean Smith or Phil Jackson, had the biggest impact on him. Bugs Bunny, Mike Trout, Kobe Bryant and Kwame Brown were all fair game in this question-and-answer session he held at one of his camps.

Here are the highlights from maybe the greatest Michael Jordan interview ever.

Michael Jordan on Dean Smith and Phil Jackson: "Fortunately Dean Smith helped me become the basketball player I am today. Phil's lucky because I was taught the game by Dean Smith."

Michael Jordan on the biggest trash-talker: "Who's the biggest trash-talker I ever played against? Probably Larry Bird. He talks a lot of trash — good trash, not dirty trash."

Michael Jordan on all-time Bulls vs. all-time Lakers: "I knew that was coming! What did I think about when Shaq said the all-time five greatest Lakers could beat the Bulls' five greatest players? I just felt like he was talking. It's a debate. The thing is we would never know. I think we would've killed them. He thinks they would've killed us. You guys decide."

Michael Jordan on "Space Jam": "In Space Jam did Bugs Bunny steal the spotlight? Yes, he did. He was much more famous than me and he's still more famous than me."

MIchael Jordan playing one-on-one against LeBron James or Stephen Curry: "If I had the chance to go one-on-one with Stephen Curry or LeBron, which one would I chose? Right now or when I was in my prime? Right now? Well, I'd go against Stephen Curry because I'm a little bit bigger than him so I could back him in, but LeBron's a little bit too big."

Michael Jordan on which player he'd hire for Team Jordan: "I'm a big fan of [Mike] Trout. I absolutely love him. I wish I could hire him, but he's a Nike guy. I can't steal Nike's guys."

Michael Jordan on if he could beat LeBron James in his prime: "This is the ESPN question. It's going to be all over ESPN. If I was in my prime, could I beat LeBron in a one-on-one game? No question. And he's going to say no question."

Michael Jordan on drafting Kwame Brown: "What did I see in Kwame Brown when I drafted him? I, along with everyone in that draft, wanted Kwame Brown because of his athleticism, his size, his speed. He was still a talented 18-year-old, 19-year-old kid."

Michael Jordan on Kobe Bryant: "Actually, Kobe and I are good friends. I like Kobe. We talk a lot. I hope he comes back healthy. I think he's one of the great players of the game. I think he's done a lot for the game and he has a true love for the game of basketball. I absolutely have a high regard for him ... even though he stole all my moves, but that's OK. I still love him like a brother."

Other high notes included Mike saying he would be a meteorologist if he didn't play basketball and baseball, his favorite musical artist is Robin Thicke and he'd take Hakeem Olajuwon for the Hornets if he could chose anyone. Based on the Hornets' current frontcourt, they could use a little Dream Shake.

There was really no stone left unturned here.

Victor Cruz channels ‘95 Michael Jordan in strong statement

Anyone who knows Victor Cruz — or, at the very least, has seen him off the field and on the town — realizes he does not don one stitch of clothing without first considering how he looks. And so, when Cruz on Thursday said, “It’s just a coincidence’’ that he wore what he wore as the Giants reported for training camp, well, you knew he was just messing around.

“I kind of walked in the closet and it was just kind of glowing. I got up a little early and I don’t know if it was the sun from the window or just the overall glow of the red jersey,’’ Cruz said. “I just grabbed it and put it on, felt like it was a little symbolism for today.’’

The jersey Cruz pulled out of the closet and stretched over his bulked-up torso was a Michael Jordan No. 45 jersey, the number Jordan chose in 1995 after he gave up minor league baseball and returned to the NBA. That was Jordan’s comeback; this one is all Victor Cruz.

“The return was definitely on my mind,’’ Cruz said. “When Jordan came back wearing the four-five he wasn’t playing with people. That’s kind of the symbolism.’’

What was also on Cruz’s mind was the Encore lyrics by his buddy, Jay Z: “When I come back like Jordan, wearing the 4-5, it ain’t to play games with you, it’s to aim at you.’’

Cruz is aiming to come back to what he was in his heyday, hoping to work his magic in the slot or on the outside and team with sensation Odell Beckham Jr. to give Eli Manning a dynamic duo to throw to. It has been about 10 months since there was agony etched on the face of Cruz the evening of Oct. 12 in Philadelphia, when he leaped in the end zone to go up for a pass that glanced off his hands and collapsed in pain. Following surgery to repair a torn right patellar tendon, Cruz endured an arduous and lengthy rehabilitation.

So far, so good. He breezed through the conditioning running test and had been cleared to practice. He will be on the field Friday, but the Giants will take it slowly with him, easing him in and incrementally increasing his workload.

“This was an important day, I just wanted to get here, get in front of my teammates, get back in front of the coaching staff and talk to them, show them the work I put in,’’ Cruz said. “So I’m excited. I’ve been counting down this time 10 months ago and I’m excited to get back out there.’’

There were smiles and jokes galore from Cruz, who at 28 had football taken away from him — he missed the final 10 games last season — and is relieved and thrilled to be back. He could not do much work early on his knee, so he hit the bench press and curls and his arms are bigger than ever. He told The Post he weighs 209, up five pounds from his playing weight of 204, but figures to shed some pounds in the heat of camp.

For now, though, he looks ripped as he stood in the sleeveless Jordan jersey.

“You checking me out a little bit?’’ he said when asked about his physique.

“I barely want to wear a shirt, to be honest with you,’’ he said. “Unfortunately the organization makes you wear one here so I’ll be wearing a shirt. But no sleeves.’’

Cruz has to go a ways before he can match the muscle tone of the Giants punter, Steve Weatherford, a body-builder supreme.

“He works out in just compression shorts, I’m not doing that, not yet,’’ Cruz said.

He joked he’s at 93 percent — after the June minicamp he said he was at 80 percent — but he was serious when he said he expects to be 100 percent by the Sept. 13 season opener.

Cruz was reminded that Jordan, not long after his return, scored 55 points wearing No. 45 in a game against the Knicks at the Garden.

“The way the Knicks look right now, you and I could go out there and score 55,’’ said Cruz, clearly in a great mood. “Get us together, Phil [Jackson]. Come on.’’

Overheard on Wall Street: Adidas Sues Sears; Michael Jordan Loses China Suit

The Air Jordan Retro 11 Low Cobalt.

Courtesy of Packer Shoes

This week in shoe biz, the intellectual-property wars waged on.

Three weeks ago, Skechers USA Inc. announced its patent-infringement suit against Steve Madden Ltd., and last week, Kmart Corp. added its name to the list of companies bowing out of Converse’s broad trademark-infringement case.

The emerging legal trend among footwear companies seems to be: As one trademark suit is settled, another is waiting in the wings for its day in court.

Here, we wrap up this week’s legal entanglements.

Adidas Sues Sears for Trademark Infringement

Adidas is the latest footwear company to claim infringement of its signature designs. The firm filed a suit against Sears Holding Corp. and its subsidiary, Sears Roebuck & Co., alleging trademark infringement of its signature three-stripe design.

In the suit, filed in an Oregon District Court on July 28, Adidas alleges that despite Sears’ knowledge “of Adidas’ rights in the famous Three-Stripe Mark, Sears is designing, sourcing, manufacturing, importing, distributing, marketing, promoting, offering for sale, and/or selling footwear that bears confusingly similar imitations of Adidas’ Three-Stripe Mark.”

Adidas goes on to allege in the court documents, obtained by Footwear News, that Sears’ merchandise is likely to cause consumer confusion, “deceive the public regarding its source, and dilute and tarnish the distinctive quality of Adidas’ Three-Stripe Mark.”

Below are photos of the allegedly infringing shoes that were submitted by Adidas in its court filings.

Shoes that Adidas alleges are produced and/or sold by Sears Holding Corp. that it says infringe on its three-stripe-mark logo.
Oregon District Court Documents

Michael Jordan Loses China Trademark Suit

Former Chicago Bulls star and NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan has reportedly lost a trademark-infringement suit filed against a Chinese company using a similar name and logo as his Nike-produced Jordan brand on sneakers and sportswear.

According to Reuters, Jordan initially filed the suit in 2012, alleging that Qiaodan Sports created a business model around his Chinese name and used his iconic “23” jersey number without his permission.

Jordan had taken the case to the country’s highest court, Beijing Higher People’s Court, after earlier dismissals in lower China courts. According to reports out of Beijing, this week, he lost there, too.

In addition to using “Qiaodan,” the Chinese version of Jordan’s name, the accused company’s products feature a silhouette of a leaping basketball player that closely resembles the Jordan logo that appears on Nike-produced Brand Jordan products.

Chinese companies have long been the subject of counterfeiting and trademark-infringement allegations by American companies — many of which label the country a haven for counterfeit production and distribution.

The American Apparel & Footwear Association has launched numerous complaints over the last few months against Chinese e-tailing behemoth Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. alleging the continuous proliferation of counterfeit goods across its various platforms.

Delta Center basket that saw Jordan’s 1998 NBA Finals game-winner sold for $41k

A heartbreaking piece of Utah Jazz history could have been yours for the low, low price of $41,825.

That's how much someone paid at auction this week for the basket, including backboard, hoop and 1,000-pound stanchion, on which Michael Jordan hit his game-winning shot at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City during Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals. The piece was one of dozens of high-end items sold by Heritage Auctions during the National Sports Collectors Convention in Chicago on Thursday.

"This is arguably the most recognizable basketball and backboard in the sport," Chris Ivy, Heritage's director of sports auctions, said in a press release before the sale. "The story of the greatest basketball player of all time effectively ended here, in the glass and metal of this special artifact. To own this is to secure ultimate bragging rights in the highly competitive world of Michael Jordan collectibles."

Ivy called it "everything the ultimate Jordan fan needs to recreate the magic in their own home."

For Jazz fans, it might have been everything needed to recreate the misery.

Perhaps you still hear in your head Bob Costas' call from that June game 18 years ago. "Here comes Chicago. .. Seventeen seconds from Game 7, or championship number six. Jordan, open, Chicago with the lead! Time out Utah. Five point two seconds left. Michael Jordan, running on fumes, with 45 points." You will undoubtedly recall the shot, taken from the top of the key, Bryon Russell unable to get a hand in his face, to secure a sixth title for Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.

It's unclear how exactly the basket ended up at auction.

The Jazz and LHM privately sold the court and three basket stanchions (one was a backup) in May of 1999, spokesman Frank Zang said. The revenue from the sale was used to help purchase the court that's been at the arena since.

Jamie Bell and Michael B. Jordan on what they want to see in a Fantastic Four sequel

As 20th Century Fox prepares to relaunch its Fantastic Four franchise next week with the Josh Trank-directed reboot, Comic Book caught up with stars Jamie Bell (The Thing) and Michael B. Jordan (The Human Torch), asking them what they’d like to see in the sequel, which currently has a release date set for June 9th, 2017.

“You can’t get away from Silver Surfer,” states Bell. “I know chronologically speaking that was the next villain in the previous franchise but I think Silver Surfer is cool looking. I’d like to see more of how the characters interact with each other famously from the comic. It would be appealing to me. This one very much is to get them to that point, to take them from people you don’t know, to transition into characters you can recognize. The job of the next film is taking it further and having the characters already established, seeing them interact in the very famous kind of way. Things between me and Johnny get very antagonistic. More of a blossoming love story between Reed and Sue. More of a family dynamic. Stuff like that would be great There’s a wealth of material and with a 90 minute run time of an origin story it’s very difficult to fit it all in.”

“Namor is a cool one,” said Jordan. “[He is] by far, he’s the strongest mutant. You know what I’m saying? Maybe not by far, but he’s the strongest mutant. It would be a pretty interesting battle, the Fantastic Four vs. Namor. The classic one where he’s running rampant and the only way he’ll stop is if he gets a kiss from Sue right in front of Reed. It’s awesome. I think that would make for a good movie and storyline.”

It’s unlikely that we’ll get to see Namor taking on the Fantastic Four given that Universal has the rights to the Sub-Mariner, but which characters would you like to see in future instalments of the franchise (assuming we do get future instalments)? Let us know in the comments below…

Fantastic Four is set to hit theaters on August 7th, with Josh Trank (Chronicle) directing a cast that includes Miles Teller (Whiplash) as Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic, Kate Mara (House of Cards) as Sue Storm/The Invisible Woman, Michael B. Jordan (Fruitvale Station) as Johnny Storm/The Human Torch, Jamie Bell (Nymphomaniac) as Ben Grimm/The Thing, Toby Kebbell (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) as Doctor Doom, Reg E. Cathey (House of Cards) as Dr. Storm, and Tim Blake Nelson (The Incredible Hulk) as Harvey Elder/Mole Man.

Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant? Former NBA player Gilbert Arenas debates

It is a discussion that will literally never go away. Our species can be on the last spaceship off of Earth to a new planet where we'll restart civilization, and one of the space-refugees will inevitably turn to another and make small talk with one question: "So, who you got? Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant?"

Some get frustrated by the unending debate, but it's all in good fun. Different generations want to vouch for "their guy," and different people value different things in their favorite NBA players. And even guys who have been in the league aren't immune to the argument. Former NBA player Gilbert Arenas addressed the topic on his Instagram account this week -- and in pretty deep detail:

Arenas' conclusion: Jordan is the G.O.A.T., but Bryant is the G.O.A.T. of hard work:

"Kobe just wasn't gifted the way MJ was but u have to give him his credit for working his ass off [to] get mentioned in the same lane as this (unhumanman)."

It's a really thoughtful and compelling argument from Arenas. He doesn't bring up the way the defensive rules have changed, which might limit Jordan's mid-range dominance. On the other hand, is there any question that Jordan would have embraced getting to the rim and the 3-point shot if he played today? He didn't get a chance to "update his software," as Arenas put it, but if he had the chance, he'd still be the greatest.

Qiaodan Sports: Michael Jordan Knockoff Shoe Retailer Not Unique In China

A Qiaodan brand shoe is seen in a store in Beijing on July 29, 2015. A Beijing court has dismissed a trademark case brought by US basketball superstar Michael Jordan against Qiaodan Sports Co, which uses a similar name and logo to his Nike-produced brand, a report said. The former Chicago Bull is arguably the most popular international basketball star in China and is known in the country as 'Qiaodan', a Chinese version of his name. He asked Chinese authorities in 2012 to revoke the trademark of Qiaodan Sports Co, accusing the sportswear firm of misleading consumers about its ties to the six-time NBA champion. AFP/Getty Images

Retired U.S. basketball star Michael Jordan made headlines this week, after losing a legal action against Qiaodan Sports, a Chinese athletic apparel company whose products bear more than a passing similarity to Nike's Air Jordan line.
The company's name, Qiaodan, is the Mandarin transliteration of "Jordan," and the name by which the athlete has been known in the country since his rise to prominence. The company also uses the number 23 on its merchandise -- the number Jordan wore during his NBA career -- and its logo, a silhouette of a basketball player, bears a strong similarity to the Jordan “jumpman” logo used on Nike products.

The company is one of many, and by no means the biggest, of a group of family-run Chinese athletic apparel companies hailing from the city of Jinjiang, in Fujian province. The region is home to nearly half of China's and 20 percent of the world's sports shoe production, China Daily reported.

While many of the shoe and athletic apparel companies hailing from Fujian have sought to foster their own unique brands such as 361 Degrees International and ANTA Sports, there are many that have marketed themselves by mimicking or effectively appropriating the styles, designs and in some cases, the names of established Western brands.

Nike is aped by companies like FLYKE; the Chinese pronunciation of shoe company Xstep's name sounds remarkably similar to Reebok; and other brands feature the distinctive three white side stripes that have been a hallmark of European brand Adidas, according to a report from Peditimes.

Alternatively, as with Jordan's case, some firms simply appropriate the name of a celebrity without permission to help boost sales. Chinese basketball star Yao Ming successfully sued an athletic apparel company for producing shoes branded “Yao Ming Era,” without his permission in 2011.

Qiaodan Sports was formerly a small state-owned toiletries manufacturer, which was bought for $23,000 by Laosui Ding and his son, Guoxiong Ding, who is currently the CEO of what became Qiaodan. The company tried to register under the name “Maike’er Qiaodan,” the pinyin for the direct Chinese translation of “Michael Jordan,” in 2008 without success, and further attempted to register under “Jordan” in 2009, and failed again. It finally registered under “Qiaodan,” the pinyin of Michael Jordan’s last name, and a boost in sales immediately followed, according to Forbes.

The company has around 6,000 retail outlets in China, and brought in 1.7 billion yuan ($276 million) in revenue in 2012, the last year for which data was available. It is a sponsor of major sporting events in China, including a university basketball league.

As with many of the Fujian shoe companies, it is entirely family-owned, with chairman Guoxiong Ding and his wife, Yezhi, owning a majority stake through a holding company, while the remainder is owned by other family members, Forbes reported.

As China has risen to become a major economic power, other nations have become increasingly concerned about the widespread intellectual property theft that takes place in the country. The 2013 Intellectual Property Commission estimated that China was responsible for up to 80 percent of U.S. intellectual property theft, at a cost of $300 billion in lost exports, roughly the equivalent of the current American trade balance with Asia, the Register reported.

The country has, however, recently launched a crackdown on counterfeit goods. Just this week, Chinese police raided a factory that had been manufacturing tens of thousands of fake Apple iPhones. 

Gilbert Arenas Reveals Why LeBron James Will Never Be Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant in Lengthy Instagram Post

Did anyone ask Gilbert Arenas for his opinion on LeBron James? Anyone at all?

We didn't think so. But last night, Agent Zero took to Instagram to offer it up anyway. He posted a lengthy scouting report for LeBron and pointed out both his strengths and his weaknesses on the court in an effort to prove why he'll probably never be considered as great as Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant. Some of his critiques included:

• "His first 2 steps aren't very powerful so this hurt him on isos and the ability to blow pass (sic) players from standstill position.
• "James isn't a #1 option…he lacks #selfishness so he will always need a go to guy like wade or kyrie."
• "He lacks what jordan and kobe were…great 1 on 1 players."

But before you say, "Heeeeeeere we go, another person bashing LeBron's abilities," it's important for us to point out that Arenas did give LeBron a ton of credit in his post. In fact, by the end of it, he made a pretty compelling argument for why people should put LeBron in the same category as MJ and Kobe.

Arenas believes that, if LeBron played more selfishly and didn't focus so much on making his teammates better, he would be in the G.O.A.T. discussion. In Arenas' opinion, he would be an even more dominant player than he already is.

"Like u ppl have no idea what he could do if he had (1) season just 1 selfish season like kobe did in 2005-06," Arenas wrote. "he will avg 40+ 11 9 and no one could do shit about it...it's sad the world wont get to see Who I'm talking about becuz his legacy is built on winning."

Arenas also feels that LeBron may end up being the second or third best player in NBA history...without actually tapping into all of his individual potential.

"This man could be the second best 3rd for sure player to ever play when it's all said and done around 2020+," he wrote, "and he didn't even tap into his ability to be GREATEST.."

We're not really sure where this came from or why Arenas picked now of all times to offer up his opinion on LeBron. But he also provided this lengthy IG post on the Michael Jordan vs. Kobe Bryant debate just a few hours before putting the LeBron one up: