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They could not have possibly believed this kid was going to wear anything but Jordan or Nike. But they recruited him anyway (and probably lied assured him he could wear whatever he chose) and now they have a stink brewing at the University of Central Florida, as young Marcus Jordan will not take the court wearing adidas.

The problem? The school has one of those lucrative endorsement contracts that schools often engage in that requires its athletes to only wear the three stripes. You know, one of those money-laden arrangements where the school profits heavily and coaches get a check, while the athletes spend a few nights per semester grubbing on Ramen noodles.

And, we all well know this is not just any child. This is Mike’s son. While he may not be his dad on the court, he’s still a part of one of UCF’s best recruiting classes. It’s also the same son who has been famously wearing his own colorful array of PE’s and samples for years now. The same kid whose dad and other Nike athletes refused to take the podium to accept their Olympic gold medals as members of the ’92 Dream Team, until an agreement was met allowing them to drape the American flag over the adidas logo on their warmups.

You can say it’s horseshit, but this runs deeper than brand loyalty. It’s a family thing and the always competitive elder MJ likely harbors the same lingering disdain for adidas that fueled the fierce competition between the two sneaker companies throughout the 80′s and 90′s. Hatfields and McCoys it may not be, but there will probably never be any love lost between Phil Knight and the house Adi Dassler built. And it looks like it may continue for a few generations. Like another Mike told his brother Fredo, don’t ever take sides with anyone against the family.

Jordan’s Son Won’t Wear adidas Shoes For UCF [Sporting News]