Giannis Antetokounmpo has 186 million reasons to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a title this season. He’s the latest NBA pro to drop jaws with a massive contract extension. The 28-year-old intends to play for a long time and make every dime worth it, much like a certain rival he idolizes. He commemorated his major career milestone by elevating a fellow top-earning NBA pro above Michael Jordan. But did The Greek Freak outdo His Airness?

With salary caps pushing towards the stratosphere, NBA contracts are getting outdone serially. However, the benchmark was set decades ago by Michael Jordan.

Michael Jordan still reigns supreme

With a total of 15 NBA seasons to account for, Michael Jordan earned $94 million playing basketball. That doesn’t include the sneaker empire earnings that contributed massively to his $3 billion net worth. This and six championship rings are not the only things that make him a cultural icon.

After the announcement of his $186 million 3-year contract extension, Giannis Antetokounmpo declared that LeBron James set the blueprint. However, by most NBA analyst’s standards, it was MJ who set the standard for NBA players getting paid their worth.

Even before Jordan won a single championship, he was a superstar on the court everyone wanted to watch. When he was leading the Chicago Bulls to the first championship in franchise history, everyone wanted to watch him in action. He made NBA Primetime viewing with networks scrambling for broadcasting rights. With the increased visibility, franchises went up in value and so did the players’ salary caps.

Jordan did something most athletes wouldn’t attempt in their prime – he retired in 1993, played baseball, and then came back to win a second three-peat. He signed a 1-year contract worth $30 million to come out of retirement, higher than any NBA player at that time.

The fourth ring made him worth the money, and he negotiated a $3 million raise. Between his fifth and sixth ring, he earned $33 million in the 97-98 season. That was higher than anyone on the NBA payroll and remained the highest single-season salary in the NBA for 20 years. Adjusted for inflation, his highest salary is worth $63 million today.

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Steph Curry is slated to earn $52 million this season, which is the highest single-season salary currently. According to analysts, Antetokounmpo would earn between $45 to $62 million annually on his current salary, still short of Jordan’s adjusted salary estimate.

His total NBA earnings 20 years after his retirement is worth an estimated $157 million. Adding his earnings from Nike and the Jordan Brand, he reigns at the top of the highest-paid athletes of all time.

Michael Jordan’s blueprint for success

While it was Magic Johnson who was the role model of expanding beyond the NBA, Michael Jordan demonstrated there is a lucrative life after retiring from the NBA. Nike and Air Jordans alone make him a savvy entrepreneur. He would become the first former pro to become a team owner. Since then, many retired players have bought stakes in NBA or WNBA teams.

Jordan may have stepped away from the Charlotte Hornets, but he’s a multi-faceted businessman with ventures in NASCAR and golf to name a few. Even Antetokounmpo took a cue from him to make a golf-related investment.

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His Airness, as usual, remains the benchmark for NBA players to reach. What do you think about the latest comparisons between him and a current pro?