Dennis Rodman wants credit for influencing Travis Scott and Nike’s sneaker collaboration.
The Naismith Hall of Fame inductee has accused the hip-hop artist of stealing the backward swoosh concept that has been featured on Scott’s Air Force 1 and Jordan 6 silhouettes.
Rodman claims he is the reason their globally recognized logo was flipped more than two decades ago.
A video of The Worm at the 2023 Chicago Got Sole sneaker convention recently began circulating on social media, drawing attention to the trademark. In it, Rodman is shown addressing the design controversy as he holds up the mocha colorway of the Travis Scott 1s.
“Travis Scott has copied my shoe,” declared the five-time NBA Championship winner about the high-top sneaker that retails for $175.
“I was the first guy to do mines backwards when I was playing with Chicago Bulls. Come on, Travis, give me some credit, you know. You copied my s—t. You copied my s—t, all right. So this ain’t new; this ain’t new, brother. Either way, congratulations,” added Rodman.
The “Bad As I Wanna Be” author debuted his first shoe collaboration with the brand, the Nike Air Darwin, in 1994. Last year, when Rodman went sneaker shopping with Complex, he spoke about his partnership with the company.
“It was amazing, the fact that when they did this whole thing, they did it backwards,” he said. The New Jersey native noted that his influence on the shoe design for one particular reason was bittersweet.
“I said, ‘Wow, they won’t put my name on it. They want me to wear it, but won’t put my name on it.’ I guess I wasn’t famous enough.”
At the time, his Bulls teammate Michael Jordan had been with Nike for a decade. The Air Jordan was first released in 1984, and has remained one of the basketball star’s most sought-after kicks.
His successful deal with Nike ultimately led to the formation of the Jordan Brand, which is reportedly worth more than $255 billion.
Rodman said he knew he was onto something when he began seeing fans in the stands wearing his shoes instead of Jordan’s.
“It was so awesome, I waned to bust Michael’s a— and say, ‘Hey you know Michael, my s—t is outselling yours,’ ” he told the outlet.
The Air Jordan 1 Retro High OG’s can be found on various sneaker platforms for as low as $145 to $500.
