Two Philippine-inspired Jordan sneakers have been the talk of the town following the announcements of their release on December 23.
Consider it as an early Christmas present for sneakerheads as the Jordan brand and local retailed Titan will be launching the Jordan XXIII and XXXV “Titan” colorway.
With all the hype and success between the partnership, Raoul Reinoso, Titan's director of special projects, talked about the "unquestionable" influence of NBA legend Michael Jordan -- the man behind the "Jumpman" logo -- on Filipinos
For Reinoso, Jordan's popularity in the Philippines is beyond expectations despite the limited access, cable for instance, to the NBA as compared today.
But that didn't hinder how Jordan touched the lives of Filipino basketball fans and players, he said.
"That was basically our exposure to MJ, yet despite those limitations, his influence on the Philippines is unquestionable," Reinoso told Jian Deleon in a Q-and-A article on air.jordan.com.
"People went great lengths to really watch and learn more about him, whether it was through stories from parents, or having overseas relatives literally send tapes of his games."
At present time, the league offers different platforms such as more diverse cable options and NBA League Pass access, several mobile applications, live streams, and social media content among others.
Reinoso also pointed out how "The Last Dance," a 10-part ESPN documentary series aired on Netflix, played a huge role and "breathed new life into the connection" on the reintroduction of Jordan to the younger generation.
True enough since the Emmy Award-winning production became the most-watched docu-series of ESPN, averaging 5.6 million viewers throughout its run.
"The Last Dance" detailed Jordan's legacy with the Bulls, before during, and after their six NBA titles from 1991 to 1993 and 1996-1998.
"Kids today are now able to appreciate the stories we told them even more because they’re able to watch his story unfold in the docuseries," said Reinoso.
That said, both the XXIII and XXXV will be available first in the Philippines while global releases are set on Dec. 29 and Jan. 23 (North America).