50 Cent – Reebok CEO Says G-Unit Sneakers Once Sold ‘Almost As Many Pairs’ As Air Jordan’s: We Sold 75k Of One Color

50 Cent, Reebok

50 Cent – Reebok CEO Says G-Unit Sneakers Once Sold ‘Almost As Many Pairs’ As Air Jordan’s: We Sold 75k Of One Color

Looks like Reebok might have had Nike shook in the past.

The retail conglomerate’s CEO Todd Krinsky recently claimed that at its peak, rapper 50 Cent’s G-Unit sneaker rivaled sales of Nike’s mega-popular shoe Air Jordans.

Michael Jordan w/Air Jordan’s

It’s no secret that former Chicago Bulls’ star Michael Jordan has seen wild success during his lengthy partnership with Nike. On his way to ultimately securing 6 NBA championships and international stardom, Jordan partnered with the shoe brand to release his sneaker line Air Jordans, which is still one of the most popular sneakers to date.

In 1984, Nike aimed to generate $3 million in Jordan Brand sales over 4 years.

Jordan Brand now generates $3 million in sales every 5 hours.

(h/t @JonErlichman) pic.twitter.com/ikm33rKtSW

— Front Office Sports (@FOS) August 12, 2022

However, it seems the basketball superstar wasn’t the only celeb with lucrative influence. Reportedly, one of Nike’s direct rivals Reebok was right on their heels at one point. Krinsky stated during a recent podcast that Curtis ‘50 Cent‘ Jackson’s popular G-Unit sneaker – at its peak – was selling numbers close to the Jordans. He said during an interview about the 2003 launch:

“We were selling like, you know, 40-50,000 per color at a time,”

G-Unit

He continued:

“I remember that back to school we sold on one color, like 75,000 pairs….I’m not saying by the way that G-Unit was ever close to Jordan in any way. I’m saying that one moment in time, that one colorway, I think we sold in almost as many pairs as the Jordan launch for that period.”

Krinsky also stated that the CEO at that time, Paul Fireman, was determined on chasing Nike’s sales. He stated:

“He was always saying how many Jordans sell this week. I’m telling you, he was literally asking that every week or every time we had a meeting.”

It’s no question that 50 Cent and G-Unit’s impact on the culture was influential. That’s why it makes total sense that Reebok sought out the “G’D Up” artists to help drive numbers. Krinsky also reflected on the company’s intentional signing of popular hip-hop artists such as 50 Cent and Jay Z to sell sneakers. He stated:

“We had this conversation in his boardroom about music artists are becoming more influential than ever…And this was that Renaissance period of kind of ’90s and 2000s Hip Hop.”

Reportedly, 50 previously stated his deal with Reebok made him around $80 million. The company’s CEO additionally recalled how involved 50 was on the business side. He stated:

“50 was also incredibly immersed in the business…He came to every meeting on time, ready to go, and his first question every meeting was ‘How many pairs we sell this week?’“

[VIA 1,2]

Were you a fan of G-Units sneakers? Tell us in the comments!