“Michael Jordan threw away a $10 million check and said f**k off”: Gilbert Arenas recalls how MJ received the boot from Washington

Michael Jordan had an unprecedented earning potential compared to the rest of his peers at the time. But nobody knew he’d just say no to $10 million.

The Bulls legend earned only $90 million-odd as an NBA player through his first 13 years. But what made him a revolutionary athlete was his insane marketability and his unprecedented reach globally. It can be said without exaggeration that MJ was the first truly global athlete.

Jordan was so much better than the rest of his peers that in just his second year, he was getting shouts from the likes of 3-time MVP Larry Bird. He kept up that level of play, intensity and competitive streak for the rest of his career too.

The other thing he did that was unprecedented was setting himself up with Nike on a one-of-a-kind sneaker deal. He set a trend with Air Jordans back in 1984 that continues to make the brand the highest-selling sneaker company in the world.

Mike earns 5% royalty for every Jordan Brand shoe purchased. Over the past 4-5 years, the Charlotte Hornets owner has netted over $100 million annually from this deal.

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He currently has a net worth well in excess of the reported $1.6 billion figure by Forbes.

“Michael Jordan threw away a $10 million check from the Wizards owner”: Gilbert Arenas

The Washington Wizards had offered Michael Jordan a GM-ownership role that turned out to be a pretty bad bet. MJ couldn’t quite replicate his on-court brilliance in the front office and would routinely alienate his team with his attitude.

Gilbert Arenas was signed by the Washington Wizards after MJ was unceremoniously shown the door by Abe Pollin. He knows the ins and outs of the situation in which His Airness left the capital. Arenas revealed a few juicy details in an interview on VladTV:

“The players said they didn’t want Jordan. ‘The Last Dance’ MJ, that mentality – those kids weren’t ready for it. So he was this icon that becomes this bad guy to them. So those guys were like ‘We don’t want him as an owner!'”

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“(Abe Polinski said) I wrote a check for $10 million to Michael Jordan and I said ‘Thank you for your services.’ MJ threw that check and said ‘Fuck off!’ and drove out of the arena.”

$10 million is a huge sum of money for any and everyone. And the way MJ was willing to say no to that amount, keeping his true worth in mind, is something truly admirable.