Derek Jeter Reveals How Michael Jordan Inspired His Post-Athletic Business Career: “Still Learning a Lot to This Day”

Derek Jeter, baseball legend, spilled the beans on meeting Michael Jordan for the first time in the Knuckleheads podcast. The 47-year-old Hall of Fame member revealed what it was like getting to know and learning from the GOAT of basketball, Michael Jordan.

“He always looked out for me, gave me advice, I learned a lot from him, still learning a lot to this day.”

When asked about his first introduction with either MJ or the Jordan brand, he said, “I first met Michael when he playing baseball. He was in the Arizona Fall League… And the relationship just grew over time and then he reached out.

Derek Jeter signed with the Jordan brand while he was with the Yankees. His collaboration with the Jordan brand resulted in rare sneakers, which are a must-have for any serious collector.

“At that point and still now, people would look up to Michael beyond what he just did at the basketball court. You talk about athletes and post-athletic careers and building businesses- he was one of the first, him and Magic.”

Derek Jeter, chief executive officer and part-owner of the Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball, spoke to NBA veterans Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles on their podcast about the influence of Jordan on post-athletic careers for athletes from all sports.

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Michael Jordan and his off-court success

Jeter signed with Jordan brand in 2002 and was the first baseball player to get his own Jordan cleats, called the ‘Jumpman Turn 2’. Recently, in 2016, DJ re-signed with the brand and launched a new collection in 2017. The Air Jordan 11 Jeter, released in 2017, is an extremely rare sneaker, as there were only 5 of those made in the whole world. These sneakers have a value going above $40,000-$50,000.

Michael Jordan is one of the most successful athletes off the court just as well as he was on the court. The Jordan brand makes billions of dollars in revenues since the past 35 years and it also has a halo effect on sales of other Nike-branded items. Hence, the brand is surely worth in excess of $10 billion. The appeal of Michael Jackson’s brand shows no signs of waning.

Recently, in 2021, MJ also invested in WatchBox, lifting its valuation to $1 billion. Other than Jordan, even 2x MVP Giannis Antetokoumpo invested in the luxury watch marketplace. Jordan is also the majority owner of the NBA team, Charlotte Hornets.

Is MJ the GOAT of post-athletic success? Let us know what you think in the comments.

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