Michael Jordan is arguably the greatest competitor NBA has ever seen. Moreover, he is certainly one of the greatest ever athletes to ever play any sport. His legacy is untouched. He made history in the NBA with the Chicago Bulls. Michael Jordan won everything the sport had to offer and in the process, he also became the richest athlete of all time.

He stands tall and strong at the top of the list of the richest athletes ever. His net worth currently stands at around $2 billion, including all his properties and assets. Surprisingly, he only earned about 6% of his total net worth from his playing days.

Well, 6% of his net worth would still amount up to an astounding figure. But he earned more than twice his NBA earnings through his one affiliation. His partnership with Nike for his own Air Jordans brand contributed majorly to his massive net worth. But he once made their CEO wait. Because well, he is Michael Jordan.

There was a time when Michael Jordan was about to end his contract with Nike. The designer of Air Jordan III, Pete Moore, took all the designs and wanted to steal Michael Jordan. 

32-Year-Old Millionaire on Michael Jordan Earning Just $12 per Shoe: “That’s a Lot of Money. That’s $150 Million per Year”

Interestingly, there was a peculiar reason why Michael made them wait for so long. He was in fact playing golf with two former Nike employees, Rob Strasser and Peter Moore, who were trying to snatch Jordan away from Nike. But in a more interesting turn of events, Michael remained with Nike.

The story of how Michael Jordan made a fortune with Nike and vice versa

Nike chased after Jordan for long before he finally signed the deal with them in 1984. Even though he was just a rookie in ‘84, he was not just ‘any’ rookie. People knew Jordan was about to become a sensation nobody had seen before. But there were many complications even after they signed the deal. And if it wasn’t for Tinker Hatfield, neither Michael Jordan nor Nike would have benefitted from Air Jordan as much as they have.

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The whole Twitter thread narrates the story of how Tinker Hatfield acted as the knight in shining armor, if you will, for Nike and, in turn, Michael Jordan. The day Jordan made CEO Phil Knight and Tinker Hatfield wait was the day when new designs were planned to be discussed. So before that, Tinker made sure to give Jordan special treatment and fly to him. He asked what MJ wanted from the Air Jordan III and said that MJ should renew with them because they will deliver.

MJ wanted a mid-top shoe with exotic print leather. And Tinker delivered. So even after spending 4 hours playing golf with the people trying to steal him, MJ went back, attended the meeting, and extended his contract with Nike. Moreover, Tinker also removed the iconic Nike swoosh from the shoe and made his Jumpman logo as the primary one. Jordan liked the idea of his own brand, and that brand made him millions. 

WATCH THIS STORY: Most expensive Air Jordans.

Not only MJ, Nike has also earned massive money over the years. Today, the Jordan Brand brings in over $5B in annual revenue for Nike & is widely considered the best partnership in sports history. And personally, Michael Jordan has made over $1B from Nike & collects $150M+ in annual royalties. This was all made possible because of the major contributions and vision of legendary shoe designer, Tinker Hatfield.