A New Record For Jordan
Basketball legend Michael Jordan is no stranger to breaking records. (He led the NBA in scoring a record 10 times, for example.) Jordan broke another record in June, when his series of Cigar Aficionado videos surpassed eight million views.
The videos, shot during Jordan’s interview with Marvin R. Shanken, editor and publisher of Cigar Aficionado magazine, now have a combined total of more than 8.1 million views between the magazine’s website and YouTube channel. The biggest numbers come from the hour-long, complete interview footage between the two, which has been viewed more than 3.7 million times, making it the magazine’s most popular video ever.
The videos are a product of a 2017 interview shot at The Bear’s Club in Jupiter, Florida. Jordan, who seldom gives interviews, joined Shanken for a rare sit-down for a cover story that would appear in Cigar Aficionado’s 25th anniversary edition from November of 2017.
The series of videos offered Cigar Aficionado readers a unique glimpse behind the curtains with a worldwide superstar. In Jordan’s wide-ranging conversation with Shanken, the basketball legend talked about his considerable passion for cigars (he averages about six a day), his thoughts on golf and his success in business. In another popular clip from the interview, Jordan discusses his visit to Cuba and his favorite smokes, and that clip alone now has more than 2.1 million views. In another, Jordan and Shanken light up and discuss pre-Castro Cuban cigars.
Cigar Aficionado’s YouTube page, which is updated weekly, goes far beyond the Jordan interview. You can see a clip with icon Arnold Schwarzenegger, where he demonstrates a unique smoking technique, behind-the-scenes footage of James Hetfield of Metallica lighting up before the interview for our April 2023 cover story, cigar reviews, unboxing videos, cutting and lighting advice and so much more.
