Michael Jordan established himself as the most dominant player in the league soon after his draft in 1984. With his dazzling displays on the court came massive contracts and a boatload of money, quite deservedly so. However, MJ was always portrayed as unhappy with his contracts in most renditions of his story. This instance of His Airness taking a pay cut for a GM he didn’t quite get along with, provides evidence to the contrary.
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Jordan had a sour relationship with Bulls’ then-GM Jerry Krause and had often hinted disliking his decisions. But the team came before his personal interests. Despite reports suggesting Jordan was unhappy with his salary, the Bulls centerpiece had agreed to take a $450,000 pay cut just so that the Chicago side could sign better players. Sam Smith, in his popular book The Jordan Rules, mentions how MJ was keen on having Dennis Hopson in the Bulls team.
Michael Jordan took a pay cut of $450,000 to fit Dennis Hopson within Chicago Bulls’ salary cap
The public image of Jordan by the beginning of the 1990s was that of a money-making machine. This was further attributed to Jordan’s tendency to keep a corporate image throughout, and applying a business mindset to all matters. However, amidst all this, people often tend to forget Michael Jordan, the ultimate competitor for the Chicago Bulls. He yearned for nothing more than winning a championship at the time. A championship that would validate his greatness on the court and get analysts and talking heads off his back. That is exactly what led him to sacrifice his own salary so that the team could afford a crucial player for a successful championship run.
Michael Jordan taking a salary cut on his own accord during the 1990-91 season was indeed a selfless act. As much as he ‘hated’ GM Jerry Krause, the Bulls superstar was always ready to take one for the team, like a true leader. In the book The Jordan Rules, Sam Smith detailed what transpired behind the scenes of the Dennis Hopson trade from the New Jersey Nets. Smith wrote:
“But when the Bulls began talking to Hopson, the season had ended and Jordan was just anxious to get a big guard and get to the golf course. So when the Bulls couldn’t fit Hopson in under their salary cap because the new TV money wouldn’t increase the salary cap until August 1, Jordan agreed to defer $450,000 of his $2.95 million 1990–91 salary.”
However, in the following years, this gesture from Jordan never softened the animosity between him and Krause. In fact, Krause perpetually remained a villain to the Bulls players, which was well portrayed in the Netflix documentary ‘The Last Dance’.
Jordan was underpaid by the Bulls despite his talent
Michael Jordan never personally pushed the Chicago Bulls owner for a bigger contract. He had millions of dollars flowing in from his endorsements and sponsorship deals. The most notable one was certainly the Nike Jordan brand deal, which has made him the billion-dollar athlete he is today.
However, it would be safe to say that Jerry Reinsdorf took undue advantage of Michael Jordan’s popularity. At the height of his achievements, Jordan was offered a $25,000,000 contract, which was pretty underwhelming considering his influence and impact on the league.
It is important to acknowledge how Reinsdorf and the NBA capitalized on Jordan’s popularity through the entirety of the 90s and beyond. Not just ticket sales, but the sales of licensed merchandise were also up by staggering numbers. Despite all of this, the Bulls, who were selling 40% of the licensed merchandise, could not offer Michael a better deal.
It was not until 1996 that Reinsdorf agreed to a contract that ‘His Airness’ deserved. The Bulls management often sided with GM Jerry Krause rather than the players, who were mostly responsible for the massive success of the franchise.
