Basketball HOFer Michael Jordan earned an estimated $80M last year from "corporate partners Nike, Gatorade, Hanes, Upper Deck, 2K Sports, Presbyterian Healthcare and Five Star Fragrances," according to Kurt Badenhausen of FORBES. Other Jordan assets include "six restaurants, a North Carolina car dealership, a motorsports team and his 80% stake" in the Bobcats. Jordan "out-earns almost every member of the world’s highest-paid athletes 10 years after his last NBA game." Jordan Brand is "responsible for the vast majority of MJ’s earnings." Sources said that the terms of Jordan’s current deal with Nike "are a closely guarded secret, but royalties now generate more" than $60M annually for Jordan. Nearly 30 years after he first signed with Nike, the brand "is still a marketing juggernaut." Data from research firm SportsOneSource shows that it "controlled 58% of the U.S. basketball shoe market" in '12. Susquehanna Financial Group analyst Christopher Svezia said Jordan Brand is doing "exceptionally well." He estimates that the brand "grew 25-30% in 2012 and now generates more than $1.75 billion globally, including apparel." SportsOneSource analyst Matt Powell said that the Jordan Brand sneaker business in the U.S. had $1.25B in "wholesale revenue" in '12. Heat F LeBron James is the "top-seller among current NBA players with signature shoe deals, but Jordan outsold James by a 6 to 1 margin in 2012 in the U.S." Jordan still "resonates strongly with consumers." His 22 million Facebook fans "rank fourth among athletes." Jordan has had the "top Q score among sports fans every year" since '87 (FORBES.com, 2/14).
NIFTY FIFTY: Jordan turns 50 years old on Sunday, and several media outlets have taken notice. ESPN has been running a countdown to his birthday, featuring segments on various editions of "SportsCenter" that focus on his legacy as a marketer and collegues expressing their fondness for his impact on the league, among others. Meanwhile, SI this week features Jordan on his 50th cover and devotes a large portion of the issue to him. Stories include memories of Jordan's time in the league and a verbal history of the famed '88 Slam Dunk Contest (THE DAILY).
