Keith Houlemard re-joins the conversation with Ken, this time talking about their experiences creating for the Air Jordan line - it had not yet transitioned to become Brand Jordan. They chat about specific design choices and insights for the Air Jordan XI and XII product lines, personal stories about working with MJ directly, and the start of Brand Jordan after Michael’s official retirement, including Keith’s tenure as president of the brand.

During this episode, Ken and Keith mention many other Nike team members as well as people they met and designed for along the way. Here is a complete list of those mentioned.

* Michael Jordan - Greatest Basketball Player in History

* Tinker Hatfield - Footwear OG Designer

* Anne (Houlie forgot her last name)

* Janet Nichol - OTS Basketball Apparel Designer

* Howard White “H” - Legendary Nike & Brand Jordan

* Dan Dehaven - Air Jordan Footwear Developer

* Peter Ruppe - Head of Basketball Footwear

* Toussaint King - Current Brand Jordan Footwear Designer

* Mary Slayton - Strategy Director @ Nike

* Mark Riley - Legendary Nike Shoe Dog

* Gentry Humphrey - Legendary Jordan Shoe Dog

* Hans George - Nike OTS Basketball Product Line Manager

* Larry Miller - President of Brand Jordan

* Eddie Jones - NBA All-Star

* Ray Allen - NBA Legend

* Vin Baker - Former NBA Player

* Roy Jones Jr - Pro Boxing Legend

* Mike Phillips

* Jason Mayden - Air Jordan Footwear Designer & current Brand Jordan CCO

* Mark Smith (Smitty) - Brand Jordan Creative Director and Legendary Nike Footwear Designer

* Dwyane Wade - NBA Legend

* Carmelo Anthony - NBA All-Star

* Chris Paul - NBA All-Star

* Russel Westbrook - NBA All-Star

* Blake Griffin - NBA All-Star

* Craig Cannon

* Charlie Denson - Co-president of Nike

* Trevor Edwards - Nike CMO and eventual President

* Michael Scheible - OTS Basketball Product Graphic Designer

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thedesignasty.substack.com

Episode ID: 1000730693152

GUID: substack:post:175545050

Release Date: 07/10/2025, 22:49:54