Michael Jordan hasn’t ended his partnership with Nike
CLAIM: Basketball legend Michael Jordan ended his partnership with Nike because the company collaborated with Dylan Mulvaney, a transgender social media influencer.
AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. The claim originated on a satire website. There are no credible news reports indicating that Jordan is ending his partnership with Nike.
THE FACTS: Following a transphobic backlash that ensued when Mulvaney promoted Nike apparel in an Instagram post earlier this month, social media users in recent days began sharing a fake headline that claims Jordan will not continue his decades-long relationship with the company because of its collaboration with Mulvaney.
“Michael Jordan Ends Partnership With Nike: ‘Our Values No Longer Align,’” the headline reads. Posts also include a photo of Jordan, a separate photo of Mulvaney and an image of the Nike logo.
One tweet that shared the headline stated: “Good for Michael Jordan‼️ Mike ends his partnership with Nike over the man child who likes to pretend he’s a female.” It had received more than 9,000 likes as of Friday.
While the collaboration between Nike and Mulvaney was real, the claim that Jordan is ending his partnership with the brand was clearly fabricated, as it originated on a satire website.
The story first appeared on Patriot Party Press, which is part of a network of similar sites dubbed America’s Last Line of Defense. The network has previously published satirical articles that have been shared as real on social media, including ones about Jordan.
Patriot Party Press’ “About Us” page states, “Everything on this website is fiction.” An image added to the photo of the Nike logo in the posts spreading on social media includes an acronym used by Patriot Party Press in place of America’s Last Line of Defense — “ALLOD.”
Other details in the article itself indicate that it is satirical. For example, it claims that Jordan’s “proprietary ‘jump juice’” that gives his Air Jordan sneaker line “their air-like quality is one of the most valuable patents in history.” No such patent exists. Additionally, the article’s byline states that it was written by “Flagg Eagleton - Patriot.”
Neither Jordan nor Nike responded to The Associated Press’ request for comment.
Mulvaney, who is known for her popular series on TikTok documenting her gender transition, has been in the spotlight for her recent brand partnerships that have ignited a wave of transphobic criticism toward those companies. In addition to Nike, her partnership with Bud Light earlier this month led conservative social media personalities to denounce the company and call for a boycott of the brand.
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This is part of AP’s effort to address widely shared misinformation, including work with outside companies and organizations to add factual context to misleading content that is circulating online. Learn more about fact-checking at AP.