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Only two athletes made more money than MJ last year. AP/Press Association Images

Michael Jordan made more money in 2015 than in his entire NBA career

Not bad for a 52-year-old.

MICHAEL JORDAN BECAME a billionaire this year, thanks mostly to the image he created on the court and the business decisions he made off of it.

That combination was so powerful that he is still one of the worldโ€™s highest-paid athletes more than a decade after playing in his last NBA game.

With his income from endorsement deals and royalties from his namesake Jordan brand, a subsidiary of Nike, Jordan made $100 million in 2014, according to Kurt Badenhausen of Forbes.

That is more than any other athlete, active or retired, makes in endorsements. It is also enough to rank Jordan as the third-highest-paid athlete in the world, behind only Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao.

This also means, as pointed out by ESPNโ€™s Patrick Dorsey, that Jordan now makes more in a single year than he did in his entire 15-year NBA career, according to Basketball Reference.

  • Michael Jordanโ€™s 2015 endorsement earnings: ~$100 million
  • Michael Jordanโ€™s career earnings in the NBA: ~$94 million

Things do look a little different if we adjust Jordanโ€™s earnings for inflation, as his career NBA earnings would translate to about $145 million in 2015. But in terms of sheer volume, Jordan is raking it in more than ever.

Also, assuming his earnings donโ€™t recede, Jordan will most likely ascend to the top of the list of the worldโ€™s highest-paid athletes, unless of course Mayweather and Pacquiao shock the world and agree to a rematch.

Not bad for a 52-year-old.

- Cork Gaines, Business Insider

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    Mute Eamonn Mac Lughadha
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    Sep 17th 2015, 9:48 AM

    Technically true , but Jordan dropped his wages to allow the Bulls to sign the rest of the team so that they could win championships. In exchange he was given more time for dealing with his sponsors, royalties for the sale of his 23 singlet for the Bulls etc etc etc .

    In 1992 an ad break on US TV consisted of a Gatorade commercial ( Michael Jordan) , A Fruit of the Loom commercial ( Michael Jordan ) followed by a Gillette commercial ( Michael Jordan) โ€ฆ Every 5 minutes โ€ฆ

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    Mute Martello Mulligan
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    Sep 17th 2015, 11:20 AM

    He must have raised economic productivity in Chicago by a few percentage points when he was King. The guys loved his athletic prowess and the girls dreamt of his slam dunk.

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    Mute Robert O Farrell
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    Sep 17th 2015, 12:48 PM

    Thatโ€™s incredible if itโ€™s true โ€“ by all accounts heโ€™s as found of a flutter as Mr. Mayweather is. Playaโ€™s be playin..

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