Why wasn't Patrick Ewing offered a huge contract like Michael Jordan by Nike?

With Nike, Patrick Ewing was planning to launch his own shoe brand.

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Even the so-called "E-Force" line, which was to be Ewing's own line, was released by the shoe manufacturer.

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Everything was ready for Ewing from the Beaverton corporation, with the exception of his contract.

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Adidas made Ewing a $750,000 offer, and Nike was debating matching it.

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The decision to match the contract or not was put to a vote by the company's top executives, and

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Peter Moore, the person responsible for the E-Force line, cast the deciding vote.

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Ewing ultimately agreed to a contract with Adidas. He received the Rookie of the Year award and enjoyed a very prosperous professional career.

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But it's intriguing that he didn't stick with the rival company for very long. Ewing created his own shoe line, Ewing Athletics, in 1988.

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The brand initially enjoyed great success, grew quickly, and generated more than $40 million in sales.

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Due to distribution problems, Patrick Ewing's shoe line eventually went out of business in 1996.

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The Hall of Famer revived the brand in August 2012, and as a result, his shoes are currently sold in more than 30 nations.

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