Legends and Soles: Business, Creativity and Basketball – A Memoir of an Improbable Life: Business, Creativity and Basketball – A Memoir of an Improbable Life

by Sonny Vaccaro, Armen Keteyian

The brilliant autobiography from the ‘saviour of Nike’

If you’re a sneaker head, you know him as the Savior of Nike. If you’ve watched Air you saw Matt Damon’s portrayal of the man who discovered Michael Jordan and how he revolutionized the payment structure of endorsements for athletes. Legends and Soles tells Sonny’s story – his blind-sided firing by Nike Chairman Phil Knight, the landmark 2021 Supreme Court decision that upended big-time college sports, the countless days and nights of watching athletes compete, and so much more that only Sonny can retell.

Written in collaboration with six-time New York Times bestselling author Armen Keteyian, Legends and Soles provides truth to storylines and headlines

· Vaccaro’s pivotal role in the never-before-told story of the courting and signing of Michael Jordan

· How Nike, at the behest of an embittered Knight, went as far as having the Portland FBI investigate Vaccaro who was working for archival Adidas on a RICO charge of corporate espionage

· His close relationships with NBA superstars Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Kevin Garnett and Tracy McGrady and Hall of Fame coaches Jerry Tarkanian of UNLV and John Thompson of Georgetown

· The high stakes drama behind the O’Bannon lawsuit that changed the entire landscape in college sports

· Filled with in-depth stories and photos illuminating some of Sonny’s most treasured career memories, Legends and Soles is the long-awaited memoir of a giant in the story of American sports.

Genres: Sports, Audiobook, Business, Biography, Nonfiction

Audible Audio

Published February 27, 2025

Reviews

[Graham J. Diemer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved to hear Sonny’s version of the events he created or participated in. I was very familiar with the ABCD camp and Roundball Tournament. I remember him bringing Michael Jordan to Nike (and watched the movie Air when it was released). The stories about identifying Kobe, TMac, and LeBron were very interesting too. He had major roles in a lot of things that mattered to me. I met him in New Orleans at the 2003 Final Four.

Sonny took this opportunity to brag about his accomplishments, but I was still entertained. Worth the read.

[Craig Cordell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sonny Vaccaro has a swoosh to grind but has lived a remarkable life that transformed sports marketing forever.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great complement to Shoe Dog, shows another side of Phil Knight, who unceremoniously sacked Sonny because he didn’t like him getting all the credit for signing Michael Jordan. Went to Adidas and signed Kobe, also got Adidas to the finish line with LeBron only to have the suits cut the total contract value and add weird incentives without telling Sonny in advance. Sonny was also the architect behind the winning lawsuit vs the NCAA, searched far and wide for a lead plaintiff and eventually got UCLA star Ed O’Bannon to sign on. Nobody had stronger connections to coaches and star HS players, who all wanted to play in his all star game and go to his ABCD summer camp.

Sonny gives generous credit to other Nike execs with whom he built the basketball business (from nearly zero), especially Rob Strasser.

[RICK "SHAQ" GOLDSTEIN · Rating 4 out of 5]

RICK “SHAQ” GOLDSTEIN SAYS: SONNY’S LIFE… HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL TOURNAMENTS… SNEAKER SALES… TO HIGH SCHOOL… COLLEGE… PRO’S…WORKS FOR… NIKE… ADIDAS… REEBOK (YES… ALL OF THEM!)… STARTS OFF INTERESTING… THEN… EVOLVES INTO RAMPANT PERSONAL AGGRANDIZEMENT… WINDS UP BREAKING HIS ARM… PATTING HIMSELF ON THE BACK… OVER… AND OVER… AGAIN!
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Sonny Vaccaro… decided very late in life to write a memoir (with the capable assistance of Armen Keteyian) … because in his view… all the other writers… journalists… and talking heads… have never gotten it right… either purposely… or due to lack of talent.

The story starts off innocently enough… as the reader is introduced to Sonny’s childhood… growing up in a Western Pennsylvania coal town… and goes out of his way emphasizing how he was always a below average “motor-mouth” student. He played football… but the unpolished diamond… that was Vacarro’s effervescent charismatic speaking… that was presciently… unearthed by a teacher… who helped him out with among other things… a college recommendation. From early on… the author makes it clear… he has had a lifetime love… and involvement in gambling.
From here on out… Sonny… paints a picture of being an incarnation of a “Forrest-Gump-type-character”… in which… behind… under… over… next to… in the middle of… anything… anywhere… is a successful break… or gift… from what could only be an invisible “paid-off” angel pulling his successful strings. As he goes from a stunted non-successful… athletic career… he just happens into being asked to help recruit potential college players… at an age that would normally never be considered… and that’s where this lifetime… of self-proclaimed… genius… self-touted… self-idolized… I could have cured cancer… if I wanted to…but I’m too busy… being the world leader… the greatest innovator… the greatest king maker… not only the greatest… and possible inventor of big time sneaker endorsements… of everything from high school basketball tournaments… college recruiting… and in his spare time… saving an absolute eternal lifetime of amateur athletes… from being deprived of literally billions… and billions… and billions of dollars… by (strike up the evil music soundtrack)… college athletics.

The book metamorphosis into Sonny breaking his arm patting himself on the back… without relenting… for hundreds of pages. Everyone loves him… from every big name college coach… to Nike founder Phil Knight… to Dean Smith… to Jerry Tarkanian… to Jordan and his family… to Kobe and his family… to every single famous and “ne’re-do-well” who ever sniffed a sneaker… or had one… on a foot… shoved up his kazoo…

THAT IS… UNTIL THEY DIDN’T!!!

And that’s why he wrote this book… because other people are no longer patting him blindly… and continuously on his back. Jordan and Knight are saying he wasn’t the one instrumental in signing Jordan to the Nike deal that changed the sneaker… and basketball world. His “greatest friends” in the world like former coach George Raveling… are no longer putting him on a pedestal on Mount Olympus… executives at Adidas and Reebok… deserted him! Of course there is probably… the real truth somewhere in between… and of course a memoir or biography is supposed to be flattering to one… but non-stop adulation… is hard to endure page after page after page.

Reader’s will also find out… how many millions… to hundreds of millions… of dollars… coaches (shouldn’t there be some rule… that hinders… or at least limits amateur… high school… college… coaches… from being paid off for what products they force their teams and stadiums to wear?)… and… what happens when high school kids… and college kids… get paid more money for the sneakers they wear… than they’ll get in their first NBA contract… before they’ve even played one game?

And wait till you find out that your favorite Easter Bunny… HAS NEVER LIKED… OR EVEN USED EGGS… OR EVEN TOUCHED A JELLY BEAN… YET HE TELLS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY YOU CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT THEM!!!...

So… regarding… Nike… now billionaire… Nike-Man – MICHAEL JORDAN:

“LET’S REVISIT HOW A COMMITTED ADIDAS LUNATIC FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA, WHO HAD PLAYED MOST OF HIS LIFE IN CONVERSE HIGH-TOPS, AND WHO HAD ***NEVER-WORN-NIKE-SHOES-A-SINGLE-DAY-IN-HIS-LIFE***, SOMEHOW ENDED UP SIGNING WITH A COMPANY HE KNEW NEXT TO NOTHING ABOUT.”

When Nike came up with an offer that… still today… has created more individual sneaker (and related items) wealth… for Michael Jordan… than anyone in the world... consider this mea culpa from the billionaire himself:

“MICHAEL WASN’T HIDING ANY OF HIS CARDS. HE TOLD ME UP FRONT, “I’LL LISTEN MR. VACCARO, BUT YOU SHOULD KNOW, I’LL PROBABLY SIGN WITH ADIDAS. I’VE NEVER WORN NIKES. IF ADIDAS EVEN COMES CLOSE, I’ M GOING WITH THEM.”

****”MORE THAN ONCE HE REPEATED, “I’VE NEVER BEEN IN ANYTHING NIKE.”

By the end of the book… all of Sonny’s former “DEAR-FRIENDS”… are besmirching him… and lying and changing the past…

But… I have an old saying: “JUST BECAUSE YOU’RE PARANOID… DOESN’T MEAN NOBODY IS FOLLOWING YOU!”

PERSONAL NOTE: Just like Hollywood has the Oscars and THE RAZZIE AWARDS… As a worldwide reviewer I have my most hated phony award I call THE-BILLY-CRYSTAL-PHONY-HOLLYWOOD-!!DEAR-FRIEND!!-PHRASEOLOGY!!

SONNY VACCARO IS OFFICIALLY AWARDED THREE SEPARATE THE-BILLY-CRYSTAL-PHONY-HOLLYWOOD-!!DEAR-FRIEND!!- PHRASEOLOGY!! AWARDS FOR THIS BOOK! CONGRATULATIONS!!

[Arushi Pandey · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book starts off slow — and frankly, the beginning doesn’t quite hook you. But if you stick with it, you begin to see why this story matters. It’s a slow burn that patiently sets up how important Sonny Vaccaro really is, what he built, and how his mind worked.

What stands out most is Sonny’s moral compass. He cannot stand injustice or illogical systems — and that sense of defiance shapes his entire journey. He was once a player himself, and it’s almost tragic that he had to turn to recruitment just to keep his scholarship going. Yet, that detour becomes his destiny.

If you’re a basketball fan, this is the book to read. The chapter on Jordan is especially fun — full of behind-the-scenes moments that even the movie Air doesn’t quite capture. The book gives you the full picture — not just the Nike deal, but the build-up, the context, and Sonny’s relentless belief in his ideas.

What the movie Air gets wrong is scope and personality. It starts only from the “Genesis of Jordan” chapter, skipping all the nuance that makes Sonny who he is. The on-screen Sonny comes across as calm and composed, while the book’s Sonny is fiery, funny, and brimming with conviction. Strasser, too, feels completely different in the film — a reminder that Hollywood smooths out the rough edges that make real people interesting.

There’s a line that lingers after reading: sometimes you write a book because no one else would tell your story — or give credit where it’s due. Legends and Soles feels exactly like that. It reclaims Sonny’s place in the history of basketball and sneaker culture, showing how one man’s instinct reshaped an industry.

Reading this also puts Phil Knight in a very different light compared to Shoe Dog. The contrast is fascinating — the visionary founder versus the maverick dealmaker.

If there’s one flaw, it’s the title — it doesn’t quite capture the punch of the story inside. But the “shoe wars” narrative is genuinely gripping, full of ego, vision, and hustle.

So yes, it takes time to get into. But once you do, you’ll understand why this man mattered — and how much of modern basketball’s mythology started with his vision.

[Krtin Narayanan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read Shoe Dog, this book offers a very different (and often antagonizing) version of Phil Knight. That doesn't make it any less entertaining though and despite the extensive bragging of his achievements, he manages to provide an addicting story right from the start when he was a middle-class Pittsburgh baseball aspirant all the way to being at the top of one of the largest sporting leagues in the world.

He shows extreme humility and grace when it comes to complimenting his colleagues who scripted his successes while downright rubbishing those who opposed him - which provides an interesting frankness and convincing balance of character. He never delves into his personal life(which I'm certain would have been an interesting read - as is the case with any magnanimous sporting personality) and keeps the narrative professional which still remained refreshing to read.

Being an octogenarian at the time of publishing, Sonny Vaccaro provides a vast and knowledgeable perspective about the world of sports marketing which he single-handedly shaped and arguably even create. To see him take the time out to clearly bring it out in the flesh to audiences who barely know about him, let alone the world of Basketball despite its extreme political intricacies, makes this book a thoroughbred read for any curious fan looking for an underdog story to relish!

Would absolutely recommend!

Rating - 8.5/10

[Mark Lieberman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this book from Netgalley so I can read and review it before it’s published.

Sonny Vaccaro is a sports marketing executive who worked for Niko, Adidas, and Reebok. He also was in charge of a quite a few high school basketball all star games. He helped bring Michael Jordan to Niko and Kobe Bryant to Adidas. In addition, he got to see a lot of first-hand superstars rise through the level of basketball. He was also responsible for getting the case of O’Bannon Vs the NCAA to court, where the court ruled in their favor that the NCAA violated the antitrust act (basically, athletes should be compensated for the NCAA using there Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL)).

The stories he told of growing up, his days of playing baseball, his days at the big three shoe companies were all very interesting. He was not embarrassed about his ties to gambling.

[Sal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sonny Vaccaro has had a very interesting and important life in the world of sports. Not only has he helped thousands of high school basketball players through his summer camps and tournaments, but he also was a sports marketing giant.
By getting Michael Jordan to sign with Nike for an outrageous amount of money at the time, he transformed the way companies went after athletes to help sell their brand. And, in his later years, the way he fought for athletes rights to get compensated for the use of their name, image, and likeness from the NCAA.
I was going to state that most sports fans would like to read this, but on second thought this book is for everyone. It’s the true story of a guy who didn’t show much promise in high school but managed to make what he was good at work for him.

[Захарченко Віктор · Rating 5 out of 5]

Сьогодні, у віці 85 років, Ваккаро живе в Каліфорнії зі своєю дружиною Пем. Він більше не працює в індустрії спортивного маркетингу, але залишається активним коментатором питань студентського спорту та прав спортсменів. Його спадщина суперечлива, але безсумнівно значуща. Можна сперечатися про те, наскільки велика його особиста роль у підписанні Джордана чи створенні Air Jordan. Але незаперечним є факт: Ваккаро змінив правила гри у світі спорту не один, а двічі - спочатку створивши систему комерційного маркетингу, а потім допомігши її зламати, щоб спортсмени нарешті отримали те, на що завжди мали право.

[Dan Bonk · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. As a 69-year old Pittsburgh guy I knew of Sonny Vacarro from his Pittsburgh Roundball tournament days. His qualities were absolutely made for the times (60s through 90s). His overall impact on college sports cannot be overstated. You can love him or hate him, but you cannot minimize him.

[Karl · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must read for all basketball fans. Sonny doesn’t underestimate his contributions but what an amazing life he has lead. I do wonder what happened to the local shoe maker who made the prototype Shoes that got Nike into the shoe business?

I just read where T-Mac and Sonny are going to restart the ABCD basketball camp.

[Lane · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting story about the basketball and shoe world. I knew the main points but many of the details were new to me and filled out a very good autobiography. Nice contrast to Shoe Dog with Vaccaro showing another side of Phil Knight

[DJ Sixsmith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent sports book. Sonny Vaccaro has had so many seminal moments in his career and you will learn a ton about Michael Jordan, Kobe, LeBron, and Phil Knight.

[Dustin Griffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating book about a fascinating figure in sneaker and basketball history. Essential.

[Sam Gustavson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn’t put this down. Incredible story and writing.

[Joe James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! Very different perspective on Nike than Phil Knight's Shoe dog.

[Ray Musacchio · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book of a narcissist.

[Ells Boone · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed it, definitely a lot of patting himself on the back from Sonny but his stories were entertaining and I learned a bit which is also nice

[Robert Rainville · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like Sonny and from interviews he seems like a genuine guy . Very surface level storytelling. Feels a little too puffed up with air and self aggrandizing. You don’t learn much

[Tony · Rating 5 out of 5]

An inspirational read that reminds me to just do what you love, be honest, and do everything you can to help others achieve their dreams.

[Keven Wang · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this better than “shoe dog”

[John Barnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story

Good story of how creating relationships can unlock doors. Disappointing to read how people have betrayed him during his story but that's a fact of life unfortunately

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

Epic

[Damon Cerrone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sonny is the original grass roots hustler

[Jason Orthman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredibly entertaining book from a maverick in the junior US basketball pathways. Shows what can be achieved with energy and conviction.