Throughout his illustrious career, money made on the basketball court was always secondary to Michael Jordan.
He claimed he simply played basketball because he loved the game.
"It's great. I love the game of basketball and I feel that if I didn't get paid right now, I would still play the game of basketball without a doubt," Jordan said before his retirement. "I don't ever want to lose that love. If I do, then I would want to quit."
According to spotrac.com, Jordan made less than $4 million per season over 14 of his 16 seasons in the league. Jordan made $93,877,500 in player salary during his career.
"I know this is a business and that a lot of people make a lot of money in the game of basketball," Jordan said.. "But, no one can express or pay the love that I have for the game."
Perhaps Jordan would play the game for free due to the money he earned with his Air Jordan shoe line. Jordan reportedly made $330 million during 2023 from Nike for his partnership interest in the Air Jordan signature line.
Jordan also served as a national spokesman for other brands, such as Hanes, Gatorade, Upper Deck, Coca-Cola, McDonald's, Wheaties, and Chevrolet.
Bloomberg has reported Jordan's net worth in 2024 is estimated at $3.5 billion. This makes him the richest basketball player in the world. No one, including LeBron James, is even close.
Scott Salomon is a contributor to Back In The Day Hoops On SI. He can be reached at [email protected].
