NBA: Basketball star Michael Jordan turned billionaire businessman

When he travels, his security team gives him a code name: "Yahweh". "God" in Hebrew. " God? No, I'm not God, just Michael Jordan, ”he told us 22 years ago. Everything is summarized. Its silhouette, the "Jumpman", is a universal brand. His smooth skull, his smile and his ear ring are recognizable among all.

Michael Jeffrey Jordan, owner of the Charlotte Hornets who challenge the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday at the AccorHotels Arena, is one of the best known men on earth. Remote peoples know his name. Everywhere, we wear our red jersey flocked with the number 23 of the Chicago Bulls.

At the top of Mount Olympus of the greatest athletes, the six-time NBA champion and double Olympic champion (1984, 1992) is next to Pelé and Mohamed Ali. "All of the older kids, Messi, Federer and company, have followed his example to be Jordanesque in their turn", thinks George Eddy, the basketball voice on Canal + who knows him well.

We show him around an apartment, he buys the floor

At 56, who is Michael Jordan really? "A mysterious person who maintains this mystery in his business and his personal life", warns Jacques Monclar, the basketball consultant of BeIN Sports. Few are the French who saw him play - some say to fly - during his career from 1984 to 2003. Even rarer are those who met him.

Boris Diaw is one of them. Player at Charlotte between 2008 and 2011, he was his closest neighbor. “Jordan was looking for an apartment. I had slipped him that there was a free one over my house. We crossed paths afterwards in the elevator and it's a bit thanks to me that he stayed in Charlotte, ”laughs the president of Boulogne-Levallois. When he visited, Michael Jordan didn't just take the apartment. He bought the whole floor.

In the jersey of the Bulls, Michael Jordan has gleaned six titles from NBA champion./Icon Sport

The man is incredibly wealthy. When he played, he was the highest paid athlete in history. In 1997-1998, he earned 30 million dollars (27 million euros) per season. On the floors, he amassed a jackpot estimated at $ 93 million (83.8 million euros). In 2020, it's his pocket money. Since he skimmed the golf courses smoking his six cigars daily, he has collected even more greenbacks.

1281st richest man in the world

First billionaire in dollars in the history of sport, he is at the head of a fortune estimated in January 2020 according to the magazine Forbes at 1.92 billion dollars (1.73 billion euros)! She makes him the 1281st richest man on earth. Of all active and retired athletes, he is the one who earns the most: $ 145 million in 2019! More than Messi ($ 127 million), Cristiano Ronaldo ($ 109 million), Neymar ($ 105 million) or LeBron James ($ 89 million)! Even the only idol we know of him, the golfer Tiger Woods, appears pale next to him with his $ 64 million in revenue.

Newsletter - The essentials of the news

I'm registering

Your email address is collected by Le Parisien to allow you to receive our news and commercial offers. Find out more

The only former NBA franchise player, Jordan bought the Charlotte Hornets in North Carolina, which saw him grow, for $ 275 million (248 million euros) ) in 2010. Thanks to TV rights, they are now worth $ 1.3 billion. Father of 5 children including twin girls born from his second union - the divorce from his first wife cost him… 185 million dollars (166 million euros) -, “MJ” derives most of his fortune from his Jordan brand Brand.

Michael Jordan has forged privileged links with the PSG which he has sponsored since 2018./LP/Olivier Lejeune

Each year, more than 100 million "Air Jordan" shoes are sold for more than 120 euros per animal. They bring in $ 3 billion annually to Nike. Jordan gets 10 to 20% royalty on each pair. Astronomical! In 1984, Adidas refused to sign a contract with the young, too slender beginner. An obscure point competitor offered him $ 250,000 (225,000 euros) to get "his" shoe out. 35 years later, the benefits of this exchange are equal to the GDP of several countries. “His family did not roll gold when he was young. He always paid attention to money, ”notes George Eddy.

He never signs an autograph

Everything Jordan Brand touches turns to gold. Witness its association with the PSG which, in 2018-2019, sold more than a million jerseys, a figure achieved in large part thanks to the collection with the “Jumpman” for logo. This is also found on the jerseys of the Blues basketball. “France has a very special place in its heart. He comes every year. Michael and France are more than just sporting relationships, ”says Nicolas Batum on the“ Basket USA ”site.

When he is not on his property in Florida with a private golf course or his personal jet registered N236MJ (23 as his number, 6 as his NBA titles), Jordan can browse Bordeaux vineyards in search of the best bottle of which he craves. “In 1990, he told me that in Paris, only American tourists recognized him. Now it is unaffordable because it is overprotected. The assassination of his father in 1993 traumatized him ( note: two men shot him before stealing his car ), "says George Eddy.

Inaccessible, refusing to sign an autograph knowing their market value, Jordan remained politically neutral for a long time. As a good businessman, he never wanted to offend half of his fans, so his customers. In recent years, however, he has taken sides with Hillary Clinton against Trump, against police violence against the black community or against an anti-transgender law. He also makes donations, the latest with a check for $ 7 million for the disadvantaged in Charlotte, blowing by the way: "Money is not a problem for me. "

A word of advice to finish: never play against Michael Jordan. This competitive monster is betting thousands of dollars on a hand of cards or a golf hole. As he wins every time, he will ruin you.

PODCAST. Highest-paid basketball and sports legend Michael Jordan in Paris