Michael Jordan’s net worth and how he makes and spends his billions
As of 2015, he was reportedly making $100 million a year from Nike royalties alone.
AP
Source: Business Insider
And his income now is way more than his total playing salary during his career. He earned $90 million total in NBA salary, and about $63 million of that came in his final two seasons with the Chicago Bulls.
AP
Source: Forbes, Spotrac, Basketball-Reference
His net worth is now believed to be $2.1 billion thanks to the skyrocketing value of his NBA team, the Charlotte Hornets …
AP Images/Chuck Burton
Source: Money
… and the Jordan Brand.
Nike
Source: Forbes
He bought the Charlotte Hornets in 2010 for $175 million …
Streeter Lecka/Getty
Source: Forbes, Business Insider
… and he officially became a billionaire in 2014 when the NBA franchise value rose.
Abbie Parr/Getty Images
Source: Business Insider
The team is now worth more than $1.5 billion, and he owns 97% of the equity in the club.
Getty Images
Source: Forbes
Jordan did sell a minority stake in the club in 2019, but he reportedly has no interest in giving up control of the team.
Streeter Lecka/Getty
Source: Charlotte Observer
Jordan is still waiting for the day the Hornets win a championship. He has said that winning a championship as an owner would be more gratifying than any of the six rings he won as a player.
Jeff Haynes/Staff/Getty Images
Source: Business Insider
According to Forbes, Jordan’s yearly earnings were roughly $145 million.
Elsa/Getty
Source: Forbes
For comparison, LeBron James is estimated to earn less than $90 million a year from salary, winnings, and endorsements.
Chris Szagola/AP
Source: Forbes
Nike founder Phil Knight called signing Jordan the best decision he ever made, nabbing the NBA rookie for $250,000 a year in 1984.
Christian Petersen/Getty Images
Source: Business Insider
Nike’s Jordan Brand alone now brings in roughly $3 billion in revenue each year.
AP/Anat Givon
Source: Business Insider, Los Angeles Times
The popularity of Air Jordans has resurged in recent years thanks to celebrity partnerships to connect to a younger audience and new versions of retro styles to reconnect to the older fans.
Cherish/Flickr
Source: Business Insider
Nike’s Jordan Brand has even partnered with the popular video game “Fortnite.”
“Fortnite”/Epic Games
Source: Business Insider
Jordan reportedly wanted to sign with Adidas in 1984, but they passed because they preferred NBA players who were 7 feet tall.
Jonathan Daniel /Allsport
Source: Business Insider
He has several endorsement deals with companies like Gatorade …
Ezra Shaw/Getty
Source: Business Insider
… trading card company Upper Deck, …
Susan Ragan/AP
Source: Business Insider
… and Hanes. He’s been a spokesman for the company for nearly 30 years.
YouTube/Hanes
Source: Business Insider
Jordan said he has always been picky about his endorsements because he wanted to be genuine and also build his own brand. He once rejected a huge endorsement deal with Beanee Weenees because he didn’t like the name.
Source: Playboy
Jordan told Playboy, “How can I stand in front of a camera and say I’ll eat Beanee Weenees?” He said the deal was close to $1 million per year — at the time, he had made less than $5 million in career earnings.
Tiziana Sorge/Stringer/Getty Images
Source: Playboy
… Michael Jordan’s Steakhouse, which has locations in Connecticut, Washington, and Chicago …
Steve Kagan/Contributor/Getty Images
Source: Michael Jordan’s Steakhouse
He also owns a Nissan dealership in Durham, North Carolina.
Google Maps
Source: Business Insider, Michael Jordan Nissan
In 2019, many billionaires lost money — but not Jordan. His net worth rose by $300 million.
Jordan Brand via Getty Images
Source: Forbes
That steady stream of income lets him live a pretty amazing lifestyle.
Streeter Lecka/Getty Images
He has a private jet. It’s painted Carolina blue, and the ID number contains his jersey number (23) and number of titles (6).
Source: Business Insider
He spent $12.8 million building his dream house in Florida in 2012.
Google Maps
Source: Yahoo, Business Insider
He reportedly decided to build a private golf course because he was annoyed by the pace of play at his previous country club.
Isaac Brekken / Stringer / Getty Images
Source: GOLF.com
The Hobe Sound, Florida, course is called Grove XXIII — keeping with his obsession with the No. 23 — and opened in the fall of 2019.
Isaac Brekken/Getty Images for Michael Jordan Celebrity Invitational
Source: Golf Digest
Jordan even has a custom, Carolina-blue golf cart with the Jumpman logo.
Isaac Brekken/Stringer/Getty Images
Source: Business Insider
He’s selling his compound in Chicago, which was originally listed for $29 million. The estate’s gate is emblazoned with his jersey number.
Concierge Auctions
Source: Business Insider
But eight years later, the house is still on the market and the price is down to $14.9 million.
Realtor.com
Source: Business Insider, Zillow
It is estimated that Jordan has paid more than $680,000 in property taxes since he put the house up for sale.
Zillow
Source: Business Insider
And he still pays a full-time staff to keep it up and running.
Realtor.com
Source: Business Insider
Luxury real estate brokers think the amount of customization the house has undergone in order to become Jordan’s personal palace is one of a few reasons why the property hasn’t sold yet.
Streeter Lecka/Getty
Source: Business Insider
In 2016, Jordan won a case against a Chinese sportswear company that was using his Chinese name.
Aly Song/Reuters
Source: Business Insider
The company had been using a logo similar to Jordan’s Air Jordan logo, and the symbols used spell out his name in Chinese — Qiaodan Sports. He first sued the company in 2012, but lower-level courts ruled in favor of the company.
Source: Business Insider
That’s not the only lawsuit he’s been involved in though pertaining to his name and branding. Two supermarkets, Dominick’s and Jewel-Osco, associated themselves with Jordan without his permission.
Chuck Burton/AP
Source: Business Insider
Jordan sued and won millions. But he didn’t keep all the money.
AP Photo/Christian K. Lee
Source: Business Insider
Instead, he donated millions to 23 charities benefiting the children of Chicago.
Charles Rex Arbogast/AP
Source: Business Insider
In 2016, Jordan also pledged two large donations to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the International Association of Chiefs of Police’s new Institute for Community-Police Relations. This came after a string of police-involved shootings.
Streeter Lecka/Getty
Source: Business Insider
In 2018, he donated $2 million to Hurricane Florence relief efforts.
AP Photo/Chris Seward
Source: Chicago Tribune
In 2019, he pledge $7 million to open two medical clinics in Charlotte.
Chuck Burton/AP
Source: Business Insider
The pair married in 1989 and divorced in 2006. The 17-year marriage cost Jordan a whopping $168 million in the settlement.
Reuters
Source: Biography, NBC Chicago
Jordan’s three oldest children have all followed their father into the shoe business. Jeffrey, the oldest, works at Nike in Oregon, and Jasmine, the youngest, has worked for her father’s NBA team as well as being an Air Jordan representative in Charlotte.
Source: Business Insider
Jordan married Yvette Prieto in 2013, and they welcomed twin daughters, Victoria and Ysabel, in 2014.
Ethan Miller/Getty Images
Source: USA Today
Jordan has invested some of his fortune in tech startups. He was reportedly one of several celebrities who invested heavily in Gigster — a Silicon Valley startup connecting companies to freelance software developers, designers, and project managers.
Gigster
Source: Business Insider, Gigster
He is also a minority owner of an MLB team — the Miami Marlins — having been part of Derek Jeter’s investment group.
Tony Ding/AP
Source: Business Insider
Jordan is also a famous gambler. Charles Barkley told Dan Patrick Jordan used to wager hundreds of thousands of dollars on a single hole when he played golf. While others, like Barkley himself, would wager a few hundred dollars.
John Swart/AP
Source: Business Insider, Dan Patrick Show
He also used to play $100 post-practice shooting games. One source said Jordan’s taunting of Rodney McCray may have ruined McCray’s career.
Jonathan Daniel /Allsport
Source: Business Insider
