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via Getty

via Getty

One Nike deal with a rookie changed their fate forever. October 26th, 1984 might be one of the greatest days in sports and business history. This was the day when a struggling company at the time, Nike, inked a deal with a rookie Michael Jordan. Since then, they have continued to grow and surpass expectations.

As per the recent report, Nike’s expansion of the Jordan brand has brought in billions of dollars. Needless to say, the face of the brand is a major reason behind this success. What does he get in return? More money annually than he made during his NBA career.

Nike and Michael Jordan continue their dominance

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Jordan has been a billionaire for a while now. But as they say, there is no ceiling when it comes to piling money. This is exactly what MJ and Nike have been doing for the past several years. Their run together has resulted in Nike being the number-one brand in all of North America and the Jordan brand has a strong hold on the 2nd spot. This means that the collaboration that laid the foundation in 1984 has blown giants like Puma and Adidas out of the waters.

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Joe Pompliano recently reported on the chokehold that Nike and Jordan have on the market with a breakdown of their revenue stream over the years. The numbers are simply mind-boggling, to say the least. Over the years, Nike has expanded the Jordan brand and is reaping the benefits from this move. In the last 5 years, the brand has seen a constant and significant rise in annual sales. They were bringing in $2.8 billion in sales in 2018, which has shot up to $6.6 billion in 2023. Even the global pandemic couldn’t have an effect on the brand’s sales.

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As per Pompliano, the Jordan brand kept its momentum going from $3.1 billion in 2019 to $3.7 billion in 2020 and $4.8 billion in 2021. These are magical numbers without a doubt. What’s even more impressive is the cut that Jordan takes home from the billions that his brand is bringing in.

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Jordan takes around 5% in royalty, and as per the report, “he now makes nearly 4x more annually ($330 million) than his entire career NBA earnings ($94 million)”. Pompliano reported, “Nike also says the Jordan Brand is on a “clear path” to becoming North America’s 2nd largest footwear brand — behind Nike but ahead of Adidas, Puma, New Balance, and everyone else”.

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If there was ever a doubt about the Nike x Jordan deal being the best deal in sports history, these statistics might just put them all to rest.

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