If in today’s day and age, LeBron James has one of the most endorsements in active NBA players, it was Michael Jordan who was the king back then. Jordan had everyone wanting a piece of him during his time in the NBA. In fact, MJ already had a couple of endorsements even before hitting the NBA court. 

His list of accomplishments is endless. But it was his flair, high-flying, and tongue sticking out that edged him from the rest of the league. Well, his impeccable finals record is surely another reason as well.

There was a time when MJ had enough of it. In an interview from back in the day, he talked about the endless endorsements he had going on and how he had reached the point where it was too much.

Michael Jordan about his endorsement deals

The interviewer asked Michael Jordan if he felt as if all of him was owned by some company or organization out there. Interestingly, Jordan agreed to that notion. He stated, “I feel I’ve reached my limits with endorsements.”

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Just to put it in perspective, Jordan’s feet and his Air Jordan logo were owned by Nike for $2 million back then. His wrist belonged to watchmaker Guy Laroche and his palm to Wilson Sporting Goods. His short hair was trademarked to Johnson Cosmetics.

But that is not all. Coca-Cola and McDonald’s paid MJ $800,000 just for his “satisfied smile.” Now that sure was a lot of money for a mere smile and these were just a handful of endorsements he had. However, that is how valuable Jordan was to the brands he endorsed.

Also, there were even more endorsements back then. Since that time, MJ has turned himself into a brand.

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His sneaker line with Nike gets him a huge paycheck every year. He earns about $150 million a year from his sneaker line alone. One can say that MJ did the right thing by not signing with Adidas or any other brands when he came into the league.

What do you think about Michael Jordan’s endorsement deals back in the day? Let us know in the comments below.