Why Without $2,000,000,000 Worth Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods and LeBron James Would Have Never Become Billionaires?

The world of sports changes its shape and value every day. For example, the NBA, founded in 1946, is still making immense progress. This massive growth is not a result of one person’s efforts and wasn’t achieved overnight. Over decades, the NBA has produced some of the biggest athletes in the world and, arguably, a god-like figure as well.

Although we have a lot of superstars and billionaires in the league, it all gets traced back to one man -?Michael Jordan. MJ’s groundbreaking success is still helping many NBA and non-NBA athletes, globally. We can make a case for several successful athletes being a product of the great Jordan. Let us see how.

Michael Jordan: The man who birthed billionaires to this world

Jordan’s success on the court is all about his ability as an athlete and his confidence in himself. This further translated into the business ventures and brand associations he formed over the years.

The Be Like Mike campaign is still a testament to his public image, and what he is to the people. His era-defining deal with Nike?captured beautifully in the movie Air further brings him to the pinnacle of stardom. Mike isn’t just any other great athlete anymore, he is a god!

Jordan isn’t just the greatest to do so. He’s someone who is setting blueprints for future athletes. Standing today on a mammoth $2 billion net worth, he’s about to add a few more billion to it with the Charlotte Hornets sale.

Now, how did his success allow others to become billionaires? Despite everything he has going on the business front, Jordan’s success started with the Nike deal. The same company that has the greatest golf player ever, Tiger Woods, the King of Akron, LeBron James, and the greatest soccer player, Cristiano Ronaldo.

LeBron and Ronaldo have a lifetime deal with Nike that’s worth $1 billion. Woods and LeBron are certified billionaires.

Read More: ?Be Like Mike?: Chris Paul Explains How He Fell in Love With Basketball Because of Michael Jordan

Jordan and Nike are changing the world

It was October 26th, 1984, when Michael Jordan signed his deal with Nike. It’s a historical day that went on to change the world.

A company that paled in comparison to Converse at the time brought Jordan in. And, all thanks to the visionary Sonny Vaccaro, a Nike executive, the deal and the campaigns they ran for Jordan changed the way people thought about shoes.

Today Nike stands the tallest among its competitors and has the most amount of superstar athletes on their roster.

They didn’t just break sales records with that association, but also surpassed their wildest imaginations. Jordan’s contract changed the way athlete contracts used to be as his mother demanded he’s paid a percentage of every sale of Air Jordans.

Although everyone that came after him is a superstar in their own right, they’re all standing on Mike’s shoulders. The legend is the one who created the giant and allowed others to follow in his footsteps.

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