Michael Jordan becomes first athlete to rank among America's wealthiest individuals
Michael Jordan becomes first athlete to rank among America's wealthiest individuals originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
Michael Jordan is the first athlete to rank on the Forbes 400 list among the wealthiest people in the country. He's now worth an estimated $3 billion, according to Forbes.
Jordan, the Chicago Bulls Hall of Famer who helped bring six NBA championships to Chicago, recently sold his majority stake in the Charlotte Hornets for a jaw-dropping $3 billion. That August sale pushed him over the edge into the true 1% and solidified his status as the wealthiest athlete in history.
That sale marked the second-highest sale price in NBA history and finished nearly 17 times its initial value when Jordan became principal owner in 2010. Forbes estimated the team's worth at $1.7 billion, nearly half of what Jordan sold it for.
Only three athletes have ever cracked the billion-dollar mark throughout history. Jordan was the first to accomplish the feat in 2014. LeBron James and Tiger Woods followed while their careers were still active.
Jordan's unprecedented wealth dates back to his days in the NBA. Over his 15-year career, Jordan brought in $94 million as the league's highest-paid player. It was his sponsorships, however, with McDonald's, Gatorade, Hanes and Nike that pushed him into more elite tiers.
It's estimated Jordan earned $2.4 billion (pre-tax) over his career strictly from sponsorships. His most recent royalty check from Nike cut him $260 million over a year span.
From restaurants, car dealerships, sports books and his NASCAR 23XI team, Jordan has plenty of business endeavors in front of him. And if you know about Jordan's competitiveness, you know he won't stop now after making the Forbes 400 list.
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