Kanye West
 

In his Chicago-specific, "Michael Jordan Visionary Stream of Consciousness," Kanye West said in 2013:

"Every single night,
I believed I could fly,
And I wanted to be just like Mike."

Times have changed, at least in the shoe business. West and his Yeezy line left Nike for Adidas in late 2013. In December 2015, West called out the Jordan Brand in "Facts," saying:

"Yeezy, Yeezy, Yeezy just jumped over Jumpman."

The Jordan family scoffed at West, and West apologized to his idol. Despite this, Jordan denied an invitation to West's Yeezy Season 3 fashion show and "The Life of Pablo" album launch.


On Wednesday, West actually showed he is treading on MJ's fashion territory. West and Adidas announced what they are calling "the most significant partnership ever created between an athletic brand and a non-athlete." Adidas is launching an "adidas + KANYE WEST" YEEZY-branded line, "creating footwear, apparel and accessories for all genders across street and sport."

Just like Nike has its Jordan Brand, Kanye is getting his own Adidas imprint. Adidas will have a team at its headquarters in Portland devoted to YEEZY, and will soon roll out YEEZY retail stores.

Adidas, Kanye West

While West felt like a side project at Nike from 2009-2013 (his last shoe was released in early 2014), Adidas has made West its poster boy. The three Yeezy seasons, which have released variations of the Yeezy Boost 750, Yeezy Boost 350 and Yeezy 950 Boots, have each gained a cult following, and the test run earned West a promotion.

Nike has released 30 Air Jordan models and the Jordan Brand has essentially been in existence for 32 years. YEEZY is starting from scratch. But if West has his sights set on jumping the Jumpman, YEEZY is headed in the right direction.

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-- Follow Jeffrey Eisenband on Twitter @JeffEisenband.