Michael Jordan Once Justified the Adamant Behavior of His Business Manager Estee Portnoy

Michael Jordan is one of the premier stars of the NBA. His show-stopping performances and high-flying dunks gave fans several iconic moments. In fact, he even led the Chicago Bulls to 6 championships. He really is the epitome of basketball, as several players who came after him tried to emulate his game.

But being an NBA star provides two-fold benefits. Firstly, you experience the fame and stardom that the basketball world has to offer. The second benefit is plenty of business opportunities that come as a result of the former. Hence, it is important for players to have business managers who can not just help navigate through the flood of business opportunities, but also understand who you are as an athlete. This was the case with Jordan, too. His business manager, Estee Portnoy, is the one who takes the crucial non-basketball business decisions for ‘His Airness’.

WATCH THIS STORY: When Will Ben Simmons Make His Season Debut for the Brooklyn Nets?

Apart from agreeing to deals, such a job entails saying ‘No!’ to business deals as well. This requires adamance, a quality that Portnoy possesses.

Michael Jordan Explains Portnoy’s Adamance

As stated earlier, adamance is a required quality for the position of an athlete’s business manager, and Jordan once explained that quality of Portnoy.

READ MORE: “DeMar De-Jordan”: Bulls Fans Lose Their Minds as DeMar DeRozan Puts Up Michael Jordan Numbers

“I have always told Estee that I don’t pay her to be nice. Her job requires her to deliver news that people don’t always want to hear,” said MJ.

Furthermore, Jordan added that Estee also handles marketing activities, and also manages MJ’s schedule for all of his activities. In fact, she is one of the producers of the famed Netflix series ‘The Last Dance’.

In Conclusion

Clearly, Jordan’s attractive stardom has plenty of business willing to partner with the superstar. Look at Nike for example. The American sportswear company offered Jordan his own sneaker line, which has taken the world by storm today. As successful as the ‘Air Jordan’ brand is, not every company gets to partner with Jordan. Business opportunities are filtered out using Portnoy’s help. She, in fact, determines if the opportunity suits Jordan’s style. Just as Jordan, Pippen, and Rodman formed the Bulls’ core, MJ now has a dynamic duo with Portnoy who handles the defense on the business end.