30 for 30: "Sole Man" Chapter 4 on How Vaccaro and Friend Began Nike and adidas Bidding War

The fourth episode of ESPN’s latest 30 for 30 special “Sole Man” has been released online. The series profiles John Paul “Sonny” Vaccaro, a notoriously influential figure in basketball sponsorship recruiting. Following the huge successes of Michael Jordan’s Nike signature line, other athletic companies such as adidas and Reebok joined the cutthroat war within the lucrative emerging-athlete endorsement business. Vaccaro’s story is unique. During the time he helmed adidas’s recruitment efforts, his former best friend George Raveling ran the grassroots basketball program at Nike, turning the hunt for talent from a business battle into a deeply personal one. The fight had rippling effects, felt through various areas of the sport. View episode one, two and three of this 30 for 30 special. “Sole Man” will make its prime-time television debut on Thursday, April 16, at 9 p.m. EST.