Ever since the start of his career, Michael Jordan was one of the most marketable athletes. From scoring the Nike Air Jordan deal to the famous Gatorade commercial, Jordan has always proved to be a lucrative entity for any brand he endorses. At the same time as signing his Nike deal, Chevrolet also raked up rookie Michael Jordan’s signature in 1984, which paid him $200,000 per year.
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Nine years later, in 1993, MJ revealed about fighting with his then-wife Juanita Vanoy for driving the Chevy Blazer. Speaking his heart out in the Blazer commercial, Jordan raised the bar for driving a Blazer, describing the irresistibility of the vehicle with the example of the fights between him and his wife.
In the 1990s, Jordan was earning more than $10,000,000 approximately, just from endorsements. Some of his most popular endorsements include McDonald’s, Gatorade, Ball Park Franks, and Wheaties. Jordan’s earnings from endorsements were way more than from his Bulls contract. It was only in 1997 that MJ finally earned the highest-paid NBA contract of $30,160,000 annually.
Michael Jordan revealed about fighting with his wife to get his chance to drive the Chevy Blazer
From 1992 to 94, Chevrolet released the K1500 line of Blazer pickup vehicles. The vehicle came with a 4-speed automatic transmission and 5-speed manual variants. The variants also came with a 5.7L L05 V8 engine and a 6.2L Detroit Diesel V8 engine. Surely, this makes it a great country ride for every American to own.
In his iconic 1993 Blazer commercial, Michael Jordan also seemed like a massive fan of the car. So much so he would even fight with his wife to get his chance to drive the car. Revealing further about his fights with ex-wife Juanita Vanoy, MJ said:
“You know what about the Blazer that I really like and that I’m not afraid to say, its different from, you know, Nissan, Jeep, and Ford. It’s really sturdy in the wintertime. When I put it in four-wheel drive, I really feel comfortable, I don’t feel the sliding and you know the spinning of the wheels. So, it’s the reassurance that you have in that bad weather. I mean, my wife and I, we fight to see who’s driving the Blazer. I do, I really do drive a Blazer.”
Surely, Jordan does love an all-season car that is tough and sturdy for the American roads and countryside. Besides this, Jordan is a massive fan of the car collection and has several exquisite models, such as limited edition Ferraris, in his garage.
Jordan once opened up about his fights with his wife
In an interview in 1991, Michael Jordan revealed how his then-wife Juanita would win all the arguments against him. Jordan would sometimes let his competitive guard down for his wife. Or perhaps, Juanita could challenge the ultra-competitive nature of His Airness. Describing the same, MJ said:
“C’mon, who wins in your house? Who wins in all the houses? That’s not even a good question to ask. You know she wins every argument that there is.”
Indeed, there is no doubt now who got to drive the Blazer more in the Jordan household. MJ and Juanita’s marriage lasted for 17 years until their nasty $168 million divorce in 2006.
