Michael Jordan was brought up in a middle-class household. Though his parents earned enough, in a house with 5 children, resources were scarce. Though the Jordans weren’t poor, they weren’t living in luxury either. So, when MJ became a star, he immediately took every possible step to become a brand. His link-up with Nike and the eventual Air Jordan brand made his contrast put other stars to shame. One of those stars was Magic Johnson who was jealous of Michael’s shoe deal.
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The image of Air Jordan, the brand’s image, lies in not subtlety like many other luxurious brands. Air Jordan, like Michael Jordan, is as flamboyant as it gets, as flashy, and yet, it still maintains a certain classiness.
Owning a pair of Air Jordan is like a right to passage for every hooper, every young child that dreams of playing in the NBA or WNBA. Now, it has become even bigger than that symbol of hope. It has become a fashion statement, a must-have in your closet.
So, it’s no wonder Magic Johnson was jealous of Michael’s shoe deal. In his book Michael Jordan: The Life, Roland Lazenby detailed Johnson’s concerns with MJ’s shoe deal.
Magic Johnson was envious of Michael Jordan
In the book, Lazenby revealed how Magic Johnson was jealous of Michael’s deal. The author claimed that the lakers legend was in disbelief that Michael Jordan had a bigger contract than him.
Lazenby: “At the time, there were as many as twenty-four NBA players who made more than one million dollars a year while Jordan was locked into a contract that paid him about $830,000 for 1987–88. Sonny Vaccaro recalled that Magic Johnson never could understand how Jordan could have a shoe contract so much larger than any other star’s. Vaccaro heard similar complaints from players all the time.”
Honestly, all greats are threatened by the rise of a young star. They fear for their seat at the top. Perhaps that is exactly what happened with Magic Johnson. Seeing Michael’s rise not just on the court but also in the global media and sports industry made him afraid and in turn jealous.
Jordan had an average NBA paycheck
Michael’s paycheck, in the beginning, wasn’t the best in the league. Contrary to what people may believe, he was easily underpaid and MJ knew it. However, out of loyalty to the Bulls and Jerry Reinsdorf, Michael never asked for an increase. Instead, he waited for Jerry to do it willingly.
In all fairness, Michael most likely had no need for his NBA paycheck. He made a lot more off the court. And that is what became the source of jealousy for many other stars.
