Michael Jordan is one of the most famous names, not only in basketball, but across sports. Heck, his popularity transcends the boundaries of sports and breached other aspects of the world as well. He’s also the richest athlete and a big part of that money comes from his deal with Nike. That often leaves people wondering about the percentage of revenue MJ gets from Nike, or specifically, his Jordan brand.
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Michael Jordan’s journey with Nike started in 1984, when he signed a 5-year, $2.5 Million deal with the brand as a rookie. It was the most lucrative shoe deal at the time. His first sneaker, Air Jordan 1s released in April 1985 and made $126 Million in just one year. Since then, the relationship between MJ and Nike has only trended upward.
On September 9, 1997, MJ and Nike officially announced Jordan Brand. Over the years, both Nike and MJ have profited a lot from the brand. In fact, Mike’s profits exceed the $1 Billion figure.
What percent does Michael Jordan get from Nike?
Michael Jordan is one of the most successful NBA players ever. He won 6 Championships, 6 Finals MVPs, 5 MVPs and had countless other achievements to his name. Initially, it was his popularity that drew people toward the Air Jordans.
Soon, the Air Jordans were not only worn by his fans, but also became a fashion symbol. Everyone wanted to own a pair of Jordans and this helped both Nike and Michael Jordan reach the next level. When Jordan signed his deal in 1984, not only did he agree to $500,000 per year, but also had royalties mentioned in his contract.
Michael Jordan does not earn a fixed amount from Nike, but rather gets a 5% royalty on Jordan Brand earnings. This has helped him amass a net worth of $2 Billion(via Forbes).
How much has MJ earned from Nike so far?
A big reason why Nike was able to breach $184 Billion in market value was Michael Jordan. It is only fair that they reward him handsomely for the same. According to Centuro Global, Michael Jordan had earned $1.3 Billion from Nike up until 2020. That number has grown a lot in the last three years.
The Jordan Brand earned a revenue of $3.609 Billion in 2020, $4.711 Billion in 2021, and $5.122 Billion in 2022.
The Jordan Brand just crossed $5 billion in annual revenue for the first time.
That means Michael Jordan made $150M+ from Nike last year alone—or nearly 2x his career NBA earnings.
The part you didn’t know?
Without this man, it would’ve never happened.
Here’s the story 👇 pic.twitter.com/JBKzu1NqLJ
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) June 30, 2022
This means MJ would have earned $180.45 Million in 2020, $235.55 Million in 2021, and $256.1 Million in 2022. This would mean that he’s earned $1.972 Billion(pre-tax) from the shoe brand. When we put this figure in comparison to his NBA Career Earnings of $94 Million, we can easily say that the Nike partnership has been quite profitable for ‘His Airness.’
