The motivator behind Betts' Jordan deal

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LOS ANGELES -- Like most greats, Mookie Betts is addicted to competition. It’s a trait he picked up from his parents. Betts’ drive is on full display every night on the baseball field, but it extends to basketball, bowling, golf or just about everything else the superstar outfielder is passionate about.

Betts is also always looking for motivation. He thrives when finding reasons to spark his competitive fire. His long-term goal is to become a Hall of Famer. But in the process of getting there, Betts leans on short-term goals to keep him fully engaged. In 2016, Betts found that motivation from an unusual outlet.

When David Price signed with the Red Sox, the left-hander showed up in his new clubhouse decked out with Jordan Brand gear. At the time, Price was one of the few baseball players repped by the basketball icon’s brand. Betts was still with Under Armour, but seeing Price rocking Jordan immediately caught his attention.

“Damn, I wanna get with Jordan Brand,” Betts told Price. “How do I do that?”

Price told Betts he would get in touch with the representatives at Jordan to put in a good word for the outfielder, who was a budding superstar before the 2016 season. But the left-hander told Betts that in order for it to happen, he needed to produce at an elite level on the field.

That’s all Betts needed to hear.

He showed up every day ready to work, and hit four home runs during Grapefruit League play, the most he’s ever had in a spring. He was also flashing the leather in the outfield at a Gold Glove level. Just a month into Spring Training -- with Price’s help -- Betts switched over from Under Armour and became a Jordan Brand athlete.

“It’s crazy, man, because when I see something that I want, it becomes a motivation, you know?” said Betts, who grew up playing basketball and is the owner of an AAU team in Tennessee. “When DP told me you have to earn it, as weird as it sounds, that became a motivation for me, even though it was just to be able to go to Jordan Brand.”

After making the switch in spring, Betts wanted to reward the brand for their commitment to him. He broke out at the plate and became one of the best players in the world. Betts finished the season with a then career-high 31 homers and a career-high 113 RBIs. He finished second in AL MVP voting and won his first career Gold Glove Award.

“I hyped him up pretty good and he went out there and did Mookie Betts-type things,” Price said. “When he’s out there playing his type of baseball, there’s not a brand in the world that wouldn’t want him to be a part of it.”

Betts, who was named an All-Star for the sixth time on Friday, has been an integral part of Jordan Brand for six years now. Last year, he was the only baseball player featured in the brand’s powerful ad.

“Somehow, someway,” Betts smiled. “I got it.”