Recent reports reflect that Michael Jordan’s famed Jordan Brand has grossed a whopping $19 billion USD in the past 5 years alone for Nike. From this astronomical figure, Jordan himself only sees 5% of Nike’s overall earnings.
The brand came to fruition in 1984 when Jordan struck a deal with Nike. Hesitant at first, Jordan made the choice to sign with them, and now, after nearly 40 years, the brand has become an empire. Jordan Brand now stands as one of the largest and most successful labels in apparel, footwear, and athletics.
While Nike only projected that Michael’s Air Jordan 1 would only bring in $3 million USD over the course of four years, it brought close to $130 million in the first 12 months. According to The Sports Rush, the Jordan Brand generates approximately $3 million USD in sales in just five hours.
In the past five years, the Jordan Brand has brought in $19 billion USD for Nike.
Though the brand generates close to $20 billion USD, Michael only receives 5% from the brand. In 2020, it was reported that Jordan’s contract earned him $1.3 billion USD from Nike, the most any athlete has made from Nike.
Following in his footsteps is another all-time NBA player, making strides for Nike. LeBron James is now worth over $1 billion USD and it is safe to say that Nike and James’ partnership will continue to flourish over time.