Michael Jordan still boasts richest court shoe deal
Two decades after Michael Jordan played his final game in the NBA the widely regarded basketball GOAT still maintains his status in the game, with a big help from the NBA’s riches shoe deal. The deal sees MJ earn upwards of £160 million annually from his affiliation with the brand he lends his name to, which stands as the NBA’s richest shoe deal.
In comparison, LeBron James, who some would say challenges Jordan for the title of ‘Greatest of all Time’ only earns £26.5 million a year from his partnership with Nike. Sales from Jordan brand products eclipse the sales made by every other signature line combined.
NBA’s richest shoe deal
Currently there are 14 players – either currently playing or have previously played in the NBA – that have shoe deals worth at least £7.5 million. Ranging from top of the spectrum Michael Jordan who, as previously stated, makes £160 million annually from Air Jordan to bottom of the spectrum Klay Thompson who still makes a more than respectable £7.5 million from his deal with Anta. The full 14 is listed below:
1. Michael Jordan (Jordan), £160 million
2. LeBron James (Nike), £26.5 million
3. Kevin Durant (Nike), £21.5 million
4. Stephen Curry (Under Armour), £16.6 million
5. Kobe Bryant (Nike), £13.3 million
6. James Harden (Adidas), £11.6 million
7. Zion Williamson (Jordan), £10.7 million
8. Dwyane Wade (Li-Ning), £9.9 million
9. Russell Westbrook (Jordan), £9.9 million
10. Kyrie Irving (Nike), £9.1 million
11. Derrick Rose (Adidas), £9.1 million
12. Giannis Antetokounmpo (Nike), £8.2 million
13. Damian Lillard (Adidas), £8.2 million
14. Klay Thompson (Anta), £7.5 million
Air Jordan still dominating the NBA
As you will be able to see, the 14 highlights perfectly just how dominant Nike and their subsidiary AirJordan are on the court. Almost 75% of players in the NBA wore Nike or Jordan trainers last season. With the Jumpman brand recently signing No.1 overall pick Zion Williamson to a lucrative 7 year deal that will equate to £62 million in total earnings for the New Orleans Pelicans Rookie.
Wholesale revenue at Nike’s Jordan Brand subsidiary hit £2.59 billion in the fiscal year ending May 2019. Which is a 10% increase from 2018. To put that into perspective, that is way higher than any competitors operating in the same footwear space. For example Kanye West’s Yeezy brand did an estimated £1.25 Billion in 2019, just under half of what Air Jordan managed. So it looks like the Jumpman is going to be remaining at the top, and it looks like sometime before anyone is going to muster the strength to challenge the court shoe institution.
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