“Michael Jordan was once one of 3 most famous people on the planet”: When a 1996 study found out MJ’s unmatched popularity, Princess Diana and the Pope being other top names

Michael Jordan was once among the Top-3 most popular in the world and almost 20-years into his retirement the man is still a big name.

There are a handful of people on the planet whose legacies will live as long as there is life. When you think of the athletes in that line of conversation, the two names that pop in most people’s minds would be Muhammad Ali and Michael Jordan.

The two North American legends have done so much for their particular sport like no individual could do for theirs. While there is no doubt that Ali revolutionized Boxing like never before, there can be no denying the fact that it was already a popular sport throughout the world.

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But the sport of Basketball would forever be in debt to “His Airness” for his tremendous contribution to the game’s increased fame outside the United States since his debut in 1984.

Starting in 1984, Jordan became the center of many people’s sporting lives, and by the time 90s approached he was one of the most famous people on the planet.

Michael Jordan was Top-3 most popular figures on the planet alongside Princess Di and the Pope.

Between 1991 and 1998, Jordan, Phil Jackson, and the Bulls won an astonishing 6 NBA titles in 8 years, something that didn’t happen in the modern era since Bill Russell’s Celtics did it in the 60s.

But because of better broadcasting with technological advancements, Jordan had the entire world’s attention whenever he laced up for the Bulls in Chicago.

The 1992 Olympics also played a massive part in taking Basketball’s popularity to new heights. With Jordan topping the list, that year’s Team USA had basketball’s biggest names and is still one of the best team in any sport’s history to date, if not The Best.

In 1996, while preparing for the launch of “Space Jam,” Warner Brothers commissioned research to determine the reach of Jordan’s fame. According to an ESPN article, that study revealed that the three most famous people on the planet at the time were Princess Diana, Jordan, and the Pope.

And to this very date, the name is still synonymous with the game even after the ferocious challenges presented by the likes of Kobe Bryant and LeBron James over the years.

17 years into his retirement, MJ proved he was still the Undisputed King of the Basketball world

After winning their sixth and final championship in 1998, Bulls’ coach Phil Jackson knew what impact Mike has had on the world in just 14 or so years.

“I know I will be forgotten as soon as this is over. All of us will. Except for Michael. Michael will be remembered forever.”

Phil could be seen saying that in “The Last Dance”, a documentary which allows us to witness the legendary team’s last season whenever we want to on the OTT platform, Netflix.

Jackson was spot on. When the ESPN documentary came out in April 2020 their prime-time ratings were up from the previous year, in a time when almost evey live sporting events were cancelled or postponed due to the pandemic.

Seventeen years after Jordan had played his last game on the basketball court, the 6x Champion pulled 5.6 million viewers per episode during the documentary’s 5-week run and was pulling in nearly 13 million viewers an episode from on-demand viewing. Netflix reported around 24 million views outside the US for the same.

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If that was not enough, his game-worn shoes selling for millions and stubs from his games selling for hundreds of thousands, are proof that Jordan is still the household name for basketball and will forever be one of the greatest athletes in all sports.