Michael Jordan, along with being an elite sportsman, is also a business mogul. Jordan, whose net worth is around $5.5 billion, is one of the wealthiest athletes in the world. Jordan’s lucrative deal with Nike and many other investments made him the first sportsman to be a billionaire. Jordan takes all his businesses ?personally,? and we all know what happens if Black Jesus takes things personally.
In an interview, a 51-year-old veteran sports journalist recalled her first meeting with Jordan. According to the reporter, Jordan was furious over her disrespecting his $4.8 billion business empire. The meeting left a lasting impact on the journalist.
A memorable first interaction
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Michael Jordan was at the peak of his game in the NBA during the early ’90s. However, due to unknown reasons, Jordan decided to take an early retirement from the game to follow his other passion, baseball. During Jordan’s year in the Minor Leagues Baseball, he met the then-23-year-old journalist.
In an interview, the 51-year-old journalist Laura Okmin recalled her favorite interaction with the Black Jesus. According to Okmin, the first interaction with Jordan was her favorite. Okmin met Jordan during his time in baseball, and at that time, the veteran journalist was just over 23 years old. Okmin and a group of ten people had a dinner scheduled with the Chicago Bulls star.
?The first time I really met Michael, um, it was baseball.? After hearing a knock on the door, Okmin, knowing it was Jordan, got up to open the door for him.?
?I opened the door, and I was – I’m sure I was so nervous, I’m sure my heart stopped, and he looked down, and I was wearing Chuck Taylors, and he said, ‘What the fu** are you doing wearing Chuck Taylors?’?
The seasoned media professional praised Jordan’s ability to read the room and behave appropriately to make everyone feel at ease. Okmin recalls the moment as the icebreaker between the two and cherishes it as a ?great gift? for her at such a young age.
Jordan came to the NBA as one of the most looked-after prospects in the draft. The North Carolina star wore Converse while he was there and wanted to switch to his preferred company, Adidas, to represent him during his NBA career.
However, Adidas was not in the right stage and was dysfunctional during that time due to a change in ownership.
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Jordan’s deal with Nike
Jordan?s agent, David Falk, wanted the stubborn MJ to take a meeting with Nike. Young Jordan finally decided to take the meeting with his mom, getting involved. Nike’s $250,000 offer to Jordan was much higher than anything else the company was given.
The deal also included his own shoe line, Air Jordan. Jordan eventually took the Nike deal, and it paid him more than generously. To date, the Jordan brand has 37 signature shoes and many more collaborations.
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Jordan Brand generated over $4.8 billion in revenue in 2021, making it one of the most lucrative companies in the world.