Michael Jordan: Rich and Getting Richer

According to Forbes, MJ is banking more today than he was even at the height of his fame and popularity: “More than 50 million kids have been born in the U.S. since Michael Jordan won his sixth championship with the Chicago Bulls before retiring for a second time after the 1997-98 season. It has been eight years since Jordan took his last shot for the Washington Wizards and retired from the NBA for a third time. Yet even out of the spotlight, the business of Michael Jordan has never been better. We estimate that Jordan earned $60 million over the past year mainly through his endorsement deals with Nike, Gatorade, Hanes, Upper Deck, 2K Sports and Five Star Fragrances. He also owns five restaurants and a car dealership in North Carolina. His annual earnings are greater than any other sports figure save Tiger Woods who topped our world’s highest-paid athletes this year. At Jordan’s peak during his playing career, he was making $50 million off the court through sponsorships. He also banked $63 million in combined salary during his last two years with the Bulls. Gatorade, Hanes and Upper Deck have been long-time Jordan sponsors. 2K Sports signed up Jordan last year to be the cover athlete of NBA 2K11. It sold five million copies making it the No. 1 selling NBA videogame. Jordan is back on the cover of this year’s game and recently inked a multi-year deal with 2K Sports.”