“Show me the money!”: Michael Jordan tops list of highest-paid athletes of all-time even after retiring nearly 20 years ago, with $2.6 billion as lifetime earnings

NBA and Chicago Bulls icon Michael Jordan is the highest-paid athlete of all-time, with inflation-adjusted career earnings of $2.62 billion.

Michael Jordan is seen by many as the GOAT of basketball. MJ was a generational athlete and ended his NBA career with an astounding 6 champions to back up his greatness.

Additionally, he won the league MVP award five times and won the 1987-88 Defensive Player of the Year award. Moreover, he was a 14x All-star and a 10x scoring champ. As a result, he is first on most people’s list of the greatest player of all time.

However, that list isn’t the only one he is leading. Recently, Jordan topped a list of highest-paid athletes of all time. As per Sportico, he’s earned a whopping $2.62 billion in inflation-adjusted earnings. La Lakers superstar LeBron James is 7th on the list, with $1.17 billion in earnings.

Jordan first became a billionaire in 2014, and since doubled his earnings and some more in the next 6 years. ‘His Airness’ was the first NBA player to reach the milestone money mark.

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Michael Jordan has lifetime earnings of $2.62 billion despite earning only $93 million during his NBA career

NBA icon Michael Jordan was almost the best player in the league when he played, except his last years with the Washington Wizards. However, it is a common misconception that the highest-paid player in the NBA during his best days with the Chicago Bulls.

Despite being the best player in the league, the 5x MVP was earning only $3.85 million on the court. To put things into perspective, this was 32nd most expensive salary in the NBA at the time.

Endorsements

Nevertheless, Michael Jordan earned a majority of his current wealth from endorsements. In over four decades, he has made around $2 billion off the court from brands like Nike, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, etc. Moreover, he is still involved with brands such as Nike, Hanes, Gatorade, and Upper Deck.

Nike

Nike has always been Jordan’s biggest source of income. His first-ever five-year Nike deal signed in 1984 was worth $500,000 annually. According to Forbes, Jordan pulls in $130 million now annually from his shoe deal with Nike. Moreover, the shoe company paid him more than $1 billion in royalties since he left the game for good in 2003.

Charlotte Hornets

Michael Jordan was the first NBA player to ever hold a share in an NBA franchise. He took majority control of the Charlotte Hornets team in 2010 on a deal valued at $175 million.

The 6x NBA champion cashed out in September 2020 when he sold 20% of the team valued at 1.5 billion to a New York-based hedge fund.

Presently, Charlotte looks to be heading in the right direction by drafting LaMelo Ball and surrounding him with a good supporting cast. As a result, his investment in the Hornets is set to be even more valuable in the near future.

Other Income streams

Michael Jordan knows the value of having multiple sources of income. Apart from his major investments in Hornets and the Jordan Brand, MJ joined the investor group that bought MLB’s Miami Marlins for $1.2 billion in 2017.

Derek Jeter, Jordan’s friend, is the club’s CEO and owns 4% of the team whereas Jordan owns 1%. Moreover, MJ also owns a car dealership and is a partner in Cornerstone Restaurant Group, which runs five Jordan-branded restaurants.

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Some may debate who the GOAT is on the court, but there is no doubt who the GOAT is when it comes to making money off the court. Moreover, it doesn’t look like he is going to stop anytime soon.