Basketball legend Michael Jordan is the first athlete in the world to become a billionaire. Forbes estimates his fortune to be worth $1.9 billion.
Retired for a long time, but Michael Jordan still earns more money than today’s basketball stars like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, or Kevin Durant. As of 2015, royalties on Nike alone paid him $100 million a year. Photo: AP.
His fortune now comes mainly from the Jordan brand and the Charlotte Hornets basketball team. Photo: AP.
He bought the Charlotte Hornets in 2010 for $175 million. In 2014, Michael Jordan officially became a billionaire when his football team’s value increased rapidly. Currently, Charlotte Hornets is valued at more than 1.3 billion USD and Jordan holds 97% of the shares. Photo: AP.
According to Forbes, Michael Jordan was the 455th man in the US in 2018 and the most action-packed former professional athlete. Photo: Getty.
Nike boss Phil Knight says signing Michael Jordan in 1984 was the best decision he ever made. The Jordan brand alone brings in more than $3 billion in annual revenue for Nike. Photo: AP.
Early in his career, Michael Jordan signed advertising contracts with a number of different brands. Photo: Allsport.
He owns several restaurants in Florida, Connecticut, Washington and Illinois. Photo: Yelp.
The basketball legend also has his own Nissan dealership in Durham, North Carolina. Photo: Google Map.
Michael Jordan has a private jet with numbers and images familiar to his basketball career. Photo: ESPN.
He recently bought a golf course in Florida and plans to open it this year. Photo: Getty.
Like other billionaires, Michael Jordan owns many important real estates such as a mansion 12.8 million USD in Florida, a mansion 2.8 million USD in North Carolina and a villa complex 14.9 million USD in to the city of Chicago, Illinois. Photo: Washington Post.
In 2016, he won a lawsuit against a Chinese company for infringing Jordan’s image copyright. He donated the winnings to 23 charities for children in the city of Chicago. In 2018, he donated 2 million USD to deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Florence. Photo: AP.
In 2006, Michael Jordan spent up to 168 million USD to agree to marry his first wife Juanita Vanoy. Photo: Reuters.
Besides basketball, Michael Jordan also invests in the Miami Marlins football club and several Silicon Valley startups. Photo: AP.
Whenever he travels abroad, Michael Jordan spends from 1,000 USD to 1,500 USD per hour to hire an accompanying bodyguard. Photo: AP.
The first cars Jordan bought came from Mercedes and Pontiacs. Since his rise to fame, he is said to have owned many cars, from Land Rover to Ferrari. Photo: Shutterstoc