Jordan just recently told everyone at Paris Fashion Week that he had signed Jayson Tatum. Jayson Tatum has been named the new face of Jordan while his second season with the Boston Celtics comes to a close. The Jordan brand is moving. It was thought that they would sign players since their current brand ambassadors are getting old and past their best years. It’s not a bad idea to sign some young players with a lot of promise. I already have a lot of fans of his own, and I think he could be a huge star on a Championship team. This will definitely make Jordan better than its rivals. But the real question is whether Jayson Tatum will gain as much as the Brand.

In 2012, Dwyane Wade left Jordan to sign with Li-Ning. Li-Ning wasn’t as well known in the US as Jordan, so Wade made a pretty risky move. Dwyane still took it, though, because it was a chance to make his own brand the best. You don’t play for your own brand when you sign with Jordan. You play for Michael Jackson.

Don’t get me wrong, I think Jordan is a great name for skateboarders. One of the best sports shoe brands out there is Jordan. Also, who wouldn’t want to be able to wear all the unique shoes that the “GOAT” did? But Jayson Tatum should have signed straight with Nike if he wants to become the player he wants to be—an MVP and a champion.

It all comes down to shoes with a name on them. Having your own shoe is the best way for a player to build your name. Having a unique shoe from Jordan is different from having one from Nike or Adidas. The Michael Jordan name is already well-known, and having a signature shoe under Jordan brings together the signature player and Jordan.

The LeBron James brand shoe has both his name and the Nike swoosh on it. There’s no real link between the Nike swoosh and a person. It seems more like a business organization. So these images don’t run into each other. But in the case of Why Not 0.2, it has a design that stands for Michael Jordan and Russell Westbrook. There will be less of an effect on the Jordan signature shoe than on signature shoes from a different brand because of this.

However, signature shoes aren’t the only way for a player to build their own brand. In fact, if a player is part of a brand that is deeply rooted in culture, they may not even need signature shoes to do so. And I have no question that a player like Jayson Tatum can make his own brand in other ways.