“Michael Jordan, NBA’s Most Underpaid Player Was Congratulating Me”: When Heat’s $36 Million Man Zoned Out By MJ’s Mid-game Sarcasm

Michael Jordan was quite swift with the basketball in his hands, but with words, he made it a point to be abundant and feisty. Why would he not? He had the best game to back it up.

The 10x scoring champ was unarguably the best player in the late 80s and the most part of the 90s, but apart from his last two seasons with the Bulls, he wasn’t the league’s best-paid player.

That might be one reason why he was so bitter to teammates and opponents alike. This P.J. Brown story will tell you exactly what we are talking about.

Also read: Michael Jordan, Dominique Wilkins, Julius Erving – 3 NBA Legends United by an Item Forbidden By the NBA

When Michael Jordan made P.J. Brown question himself by congratulating him

Michael Jordan made around $94 Million in his 15-year NBA career, 63 of which came from his last two years (96-97 & 97-98). So, the best player in the NBA made just $29 million in his first 10 years.

Coming to P.J. Brown, the man who never even made it to an All-Star team, bagged a 7-year $36 Million contract with the Miami Heat in 1997, which surprised plenty of people in the league. MJ was, unsurprisingly, one of them.

When Brown faced His Airness for the first time that season, he heard, “Hey! Congratulations on your contract,” which wasn’t pleasing for him in any way, shape, or form.

“At the time a lot of people were saying, ‘Who the hell is P.J. Brown, and how can he be worth this kind of money?’” Brown once told SI.

He continued, “but then the best player in basketball — who for a long time was also one of the game’s most underpaid — was standing next to me, congratulating me on my deal. That straightened everything out for me pretty quick right there.”

Typical MJ!

Also read: Doc Rivers Spews Confusing LeBron James and Michael Jordan ‘GOAT’ Take Prior To Lakers-Sixers

MJ negotiated a $33 Million contract in the 90s

It wasn’t like MJ was not making enough money off the court through his Nike deal and several commercials and endorsements but after being underpaid by the Bulls for a decade, Jordan decided it was time to get what he deserves.

Following the 1996 championship success, Jerry Krause’s Bulls stood assured of being one of the least spending teams in the league while also being the farthest best.

Jordan came straight to the management and asked for the numbers he wanted and deserved. He got a 1-year contract in the north of $30 million for the 1996-97 season, and a $33 million-plus for the 97-98 season.

Guess how long it took for someone to earn more in a year? 20-years. After Stephen Curry bagged over $34.5 million in the 2017-18 season. Astonishing!

Also read: For $90 in 1987, You Could See Michael Jordan, Get Air Jordan 2s, and Attend a Clinic From His Airness

About the author

Akash Murty

An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

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