Michael Jordan’s 2022 earnings from his iconic brand collaboration with Nike made him more money than his entire NBA career earnings, according to stunning reports.

MJ is widely regarded as one of the best basketball players of all time after his two prolific playing spells with the Chicago Bulls.

During his time with the Bulls, Jordan lifted six NBA championship titles and was named the NBA Finals MVP six times during the 1990s.

Jordan went on to play for the Washington Wizards in a largely forgettable spell before he called it time on a glittering career for a third and final time in 2003.

The 59-year-old American basketball legend has found incredible success off the court, including his starring role alongside Bugs Bunny in the 1996 film Space Jam.

Jordan’s marketable appeal has also been capitalised on with his partnership with Nike for the iconic Air Jordan brand, earning MJ a hefty payday in the process.

According to Front Office Sports, Jordan’s brand brought in an eye-watering $5bn in revenue for Nike in 2022 alone.

The former Bulls superstar will pocket a lucrative payday, with Jordan receiving a five per cent cut as part of his original licencing deal with Nike.

dan Brand crossed $5B in revenue for the first time in 2022. Thanks to his original licensing deal, Michael Jordan will collect 5%, or $256.1M, which is more than double his career NBA earnings. Over the past 5 years, Jordan Brand has earned more than $19B. (@FOS)

Michael Jordan once threw a free shot with his eyes closed during an NBA game

Michael Jordan once took an incredible shot.

Published 15:01 12 May 2024 GMT+1

Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time, and once he showed off his talent by taking a free throw with his eyes shut.

Chicago Bulls legend was renowned for his no-nonsense play-style, something that made him near-unplayable for much of his career.

Jordan won six NBA championships during two spells with the Bulls, winning three-in-a-row twice and being named the NBA Finals MVP on all six occasions.

His relentless pursuit of success didn’t mean that he couldn’t have a bit of fun from time to time, and he showed that when he scored a three throw with his eyes closed.

Michael Jordan reveals he nearly signed for Adidas
Michael Jordan is well known for his deal with Nike, but he nearly signed for rivals Adidas. Credit: YouTube

The incident occurred in 1991 when the Bulls were facing the Denver Nuggets, with Jordan scoring 37 points in the game.

Despite his superb performance, the famous number 23 failed to dunk against then-rookie Dikembe Mutombo.

In an interview with Pete Holmes in 2014, Mutombo explained Jordan attempted the no-look free throw in order to mock him.

The rivalry between the pair continued into Jordan’s second spell after his brief retirement.

Jordan was filmed having a conversation with Mutombo in the changing room in the Eastern Conference team’s locker room before the 1997 NBA All Star Game.

The two men discussed whether or not Jordan had ever dunked on the then Atlanta Hawk star with the centre saying “For real Mike, you haven’t got me yet.”

MJ responded saying “Don’t even try it” before agreeing he hadn’t got Mutombo ‘recently,’ much to the Hawk’s player’s annoyance.

The next time they faced Jordan made sure he did dunk on his rival and then made sure that Mutombo was aware of what just happened.

Jordan retired for the second time after winning his sixth and final NBA championship with the Bulls in 1998, before coming out of retirement again in 2001 to play for the Washington Wizards.

Featured Image Credit: YouTube/Getty

Michael Jordan’s comment to man who made million dollar shot at NBA game left him stunned

Michael Jordan stunned the million dollar shot man.

Updated 14:52 7 May 2024 GMT+1Published 11:32 7 May 2024 GMT+1

The man who made the famous million dollar shot in a basketball game revealed that Michael Jordan helped him get his money.

During a timeout in the third quarter of Chicago Bulls vs. Miami Heat back in April 1994, Don Calhoun, an office supply salesman, stunned everyone in attendance by making a three-quarter court shot with a whopping $1 million on the line.

He threw the ball 80 feet as he landed an incredible basket following his incredible effort from the free throw line on the other side of the court.

19 people had tried and failed before Calhoun nailed his shot as he became famous for his legendary moment.

But retrieving the prize proved harder than expected as NBA legend Jordan played a huge role.

The insurance company refused to pay out, arguing that because Calhoun had played college basketball, he broke the competition’s rules.

The event’s sponsors intervened and promised to reward him for his million dollar shot.

For the next 20 yers, he bagged an annual payment of $50,000.

Michael Jordan in action for the Chicago Bulls. Image: Getty

Calhoun had been sharing the court with Jordan, who told him ‘great shot kid’ in a surreal moment.

He met Jordan again after wanting to get the icon’s signature on the ball he’d made the shot with.

Calhoun heard from a friend that Jordan always went to see one of his kids play basketball at their school, so the million dollar shot man showed up with his ball in the hopes of getting his signature on it.

According to Calhoun, Jordan asked him: “Did you get your money?”

Jordan then stunned the lad, adding: “We made them give it to you. We were upset that they were trying not to pay you.”

Calhoun also got Jordan’s signature on the ball after it was sent to his steakhouse, where he said he’d sign and return it.

While he was worried that he’d never see his prized possession again, he decided to trust Jordan and he later got a call from the steakhouse telling him: “Michael signed it and he wishes you well.

Michael Jordan smashed all four clauses inserted into his Nike deal to keep massive contract alive

The NBA legend made light work of the clauses during his rookie season.

Published 11:27 9 May 2024 GMT+1

It’s hard to imagine Michael Jordan without Nike and vice versa, but the paths of the superstar athlete and the sportswear giant came close to never crossing.

Jordan and Nike share the most recognisable and lucrative athlete-brand partnership in sports history, but the basketball legend used to partner with their company’s rivals.

Back in his college days at the University of North Carolina, Jordan looked destined to sign a deal with either Adidas or Converse.

The upcoming star preferred the three-stripe brand, but on the court he worse Converse because Dean Smith and the UNC at Chapel Hill were sponsored by them.

In the movie ‘Air’, it was revealed that after games Jordan would switch back into his Adidas gear.

So, how did he end up at Nike rather than one of the two basketball giants at the time?

Nike had a budget of $250,000 to try and sign up three to four players from the 1984 NBA Draft.

However, as revealed in ‘Air’, Nike marketing executive Sonny Vaccaro abandoned that idea and forced the company to use the entire budget on Jordan.

To persuade Jordan to sign, Nike offered the future Hall of Famer a five-year, $2.5 million contract for after his rookie season.

Michael Jordan in action for the Chicago Bulls. Image: Getty

To cover their backs in case Jordan flopped upon turning pro, Nike inserted four clauses into the deal. Jordan needed to achieve just one of them to keep his deal going.

The four requirements were: be named to an All-Star or All-NBA team; win Rookie of the Year; average 20+ points per game or sell over $4 million worth of Nike Air Jordans.

Surprise surprise, the Chicago Bulls star smashed all of those requirements and remained with Nike for his entire career.

By the end of his rookie season, Jordan had averaged 28+ points per game and had sold $162 million worth of sneakers.

He was also crowned Rookie of the Year and was named to the All-Star and All-NBA second team.

The rest, as they say, is history. Both player and brand had profited hugely from the partnership, with Jordan making an estimated $1.6 billion up until 2023.

Jordan could have earned even more money had he accepted a lucrative offer to fight a boxing legend.

Michael Jordan wanted to give away his wages to one teammate he thought was ‘underpaid’

Michael Jordan claimed that Chicago Bulls teammate Scottie Pippen was underpaid.

Published 06:30 10 May 2024 GMT+1

Comments made by NBA legend Michael Jordan over the compensation of former Chicago Bulls teammate Scottie Pippen have resurfaced, with the man largely regarded as the best-ever basketball player saying he wished his teammate was better paid.

The duo were arguably the best in the history of the league as the pair played a key role in helping the Bulls win six championships across eight years between 1991 and 1998, terrorising defences throughout the United States.

In fact, prior to Pippen’s move to Chicago in 1987, Jordan hadn’t won a single championship having struggled to benefit from the quality of his teammates as well as his own.

Back in the 1991 offseason, Pippen made one of the worst decisions an athlete can make, signing a seven-year, $18million contract extension. Those seven years were the best of the American’s career but he only took home $2.57million per season.

During the 1996-1997 season, one of the best players in the league and arguably his best year, Pippen only earned $2.25million. In the same campaign, Jordan earned an eye-watering $30.14million.

A few years into the contract and Jordan shared his sympathy for the Robin to his Batman. In an interview with reporter Cheryl Raye-Stout, the 6-foot-6 shooting guard revealed that he wished to pay Scottie out of his own contract. Calling out the Bulls to reward him with a fair deal after the end of the contract, Jordan said: “I wish there was some way legally that I could give him some of the money that he totally deserves as a player. He’s totally underpaid. For years, I was underpaid, but I played it out, and I think he’s going to play it out too. At the end of three years, I hope they reward him with a just and fair contract.”

“I wish there was some way legally that I could give him some of the money that he totally deserves as a player. He’s totally underpaid. For years, I was underpaid, but I played it out” ~ 1994,Michael Jordan talking reporter Cheryl Raye-Stout #NBA #BullsNation

In 1997, a similar conversation was had between Jordan and a reporter with the NBA legend dissatisfied with general manager Jerry Krause’s plans to rebuild the Bulls whilst also underpaying the likes of Pippen.

When asked by the reporter what he would do if he ran the franchise, Jordan joked that he would pay himself $50,000,000, give coach Phil Knight $50,000,000, hand Pippen a cool $75,000,000, and leave teammate Dennis Rodman with $25,000,000 because of his tight budget.