Former Chicago Bulls Hall-of-Fame shooting guard Michael Jordan is still reeling in a staggering amount of money from endorsements.
The business and advertising machine that is the Chicago Bulls legendary shooting guard Michael Jordan is apparently one that keeps on going well after his playing days in the NBA ended. Jordan is now the owner of the Charlotte Hornets and still keeps an active role around the NBA. He’s even joining up with Denny Hamlin and Bubba Wallace to form a NASCAR team starting next season.
It is hard to even fathom some of the types of revenues that Jordan has generated both for himself and various teams and companies over the years. From Nike, to Haynes, all the way to the development of the Jordan brand into other sports, he’s truly a mogul that revolutionized the impact of sports marketing.
Jordan reportedly (per The Sports Rush) still earns more money from his endorsements alone than any active NBA player does today, including the likes of Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James and Houston Rockets superstar guard James Harden, among others. And it’s not just endorsements that Jordan has all active NBA players beat in. He earns more from just his endorsements now than any active player does between salary and endorsements combined.
That’s just crazy to think about.
The Jordan brand alone reportedly earned north of $3.5 billion during the 2019-20 financial year. And the $130 million that he got from royalties alone was more than the likes of Harden, LeBron, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard, and Kobe Bryant, earned last year combined.
Apparently “The Last Dance” helped rejuvenate some of the public interest in Jordan himself and the Jordan brand this year. The memorabilia and collectibles market surrounding Jordan and the Bulls from all of those great dynasty years also heated up incredibly so since the premier of The Last Dance back in April.
According to his Forbes profile, Jordan is worth $1.6 billion in 2020. That actually places him just outside the top 1,000 richest billionaires in the world.
Jordan had himself a big year. Between individual news bits like the Hornets getting the third overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft Lottery and him starting a NASCAR team, and The Last Dance winning an Emmy, Jordan had quite the news year to date.
The 14-time NBA All-Star selection, five-time MVP, six-time NBA Champion, and six-time Finals MVP Jordan was put back firmly in the midst of the spotlight this year. And that should only continue with how much he’s doing with his business and/or sports endeavors heading into 2021.