Michael Jordan became a billionaire this year, thanks mostly to the image he created on the court and the business decisions he made off of it. That combination was so powerful that he is still one of the world’s highest-paid athletes more than a decade after playing in his last NBA game.
With his income from endorsement deals and royalties from his namesake Jordan brand, a subsidiary of Nike, Jordan made $100 million in 2014, according to Kurt Badenhausen of Forbes.
That is more than any other athlete, active or retired, makes in endorsements. It is also enough to rank Jordan as the third-highest-paid athlete in the world, behind only Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao.
This also means, as pointed out by ESPN’s Patrick Dorsey, that Jordan now makes more in a single year than he did in his entire 15-year NBA career, according to Basketball Reference.
- Michael Jordan’s 2015 endorsement earnings: ~$100 million
- Michael Jordan’s career earnings in the NBA: ~$94 million
Things look a little different if we adjust Jordan’s earnings for inflation, as his career NBA earnings would translate to about $145 million in 2015. But in terms of sheer volume, Jordan is raking it in more than ever.
Also, assuming his earnings don’t recede, Jordan will most likely ascend to the top of the list of the world’s highest-paid athletes, unless of course Mayweather and Pacquiao shock the world and agree to a rematch.
Not bad for a 52-year-old.
