The NBA basketball legend was one of the few athletes who was a marquee endorser for another brand and was later embraced by Nike (Serena Williams with Puma being the other). After signing with the Lakers in 1996, his first signature shoe came out the following year under Adidas, but it never got much traction. The Big a, mesmerized by his well-to-do upbringing in Philadelphia and worldliness from living in Italy where his father once played pro basketball, marketed him as a Renaissance man. That simply didn’t resonate well with the sneaker buying public and sales of his signature line ... Log in to view full article.