Before Shaquille O’Neal made cash+stock a trendy revenue source for signature athletes, his buddy at TNT was reaping its benefits. Charles Barkley’s financial moves differed from those of the big man except when he was negotiating with Nike. That’s when the face of the brand, Air Jordan himself, stepped in with the financial tip of a lifetime—one that is giving Chuck huge profits to date.

Although Jordan and Barkley fell out, the latter still credits his former best friend for structuring his Nike deal. While the Jumpman keeps Nike at the top of the global sneaker culture, Chuck makes a pretty penny from it.

Nike’s bestseller structured Charles Barkley’s deal

Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley came into the league at the same time but only one made signature shoe deals a phenomenon. Initially, The Round Mound of Rebound was rocking Converse, the go-to brand for most NBA athletes. But Jordan went with the bankrupt Nike, debuted the Air Jordan, and sold 450,000 pairs, 45 times the initial expectation.

Nike arrived at a point it could give its other signature athletes their own sneakers. When it came to Charles Barkley’s turn, he wasn’t going to settle for anything less than $3 million a year in 1992. He was on the Dream Team, played alongside Dr J in Philadelphia, and was a year from his MVP season heading to the Finals with the Suns. But Jordan had him curb the greed and think about the longrun.

As Barkley recalled on The Steam Room, “He [Jordan] says ‘Hey man, why you need all that money?’ I was like ‘Dude, what are you talking about?’ He says ‘I was looking at your contract, you making about three million dollars, tell Nike you want a million, and you want the rest in stock options.‘” Barkley ran it by his team and they too advised him to take it.

Chuck’s signature Nike shoe, the Nike Air Force Max CB, debuted in 1994. He retired from the NBA in 2000, and in 2023, he said, “I actually made probably 10 times the amount of money. And I’m still with Nike to this day.”

Chuck has an $80 million net worth today (could’ve been more if his agent didn’t mismanage a huge chunk of his $40 million NBA earnings). Most of it is from his post-NBA ventures at TNT and Redmont Vodka. Another chunk of it is credited to Michael Jordan.

Michael Jordan makes Chuck a lot of money

Barkley never reveals how much stock he owns in Nike. Assuming he took a $1 million payout out of the initial $3 million offer and the rest in stock, he could have a $2 million share in the Swoosh empire in 1992. By his estimate, he would make $20 million.

Even if the number of shares were way less, it doesn’t matter. When Barkley got stock in Nike, it was valued at a mere $2.28 per share in 1992. As of this writing, Nike’s share price is at $77.98. Chuck’s shoes haven’t been retro-released or redone. So, the dividends from his stock remain a big earner for him. They roll in for Chuck as Nike grows. Nike’s growth is directly related to Jumpman.

From the day they debuted the Air Jordan 1s, MJ’s brand has been profitable to Nike. As of 2023, Nike owns the largest share of the sneaker market, an estimated 35%. Its subsidiary, Jordan, holds the second-largest share. Nike’s revenue last year was at $50 billion. $6.59 billion of it came from Air Jordan sales.

MJ gets a 5% royalty for allowing his silhouette on every product. That makes him at least $350 million annually and comfortably puts him in the exclusive billionaire athletes club.

Charles Barkley is nowhere near billionaire status. He, however, is not looking to reach there either. He’s content earning off his Nike stock while Jordan brings in the money.