Air Jordan brand earned Nike $19 Billion

Michael Jordan gets only 5% of revenues.

Nike has earned about $19 billion over the past five years thanks to the brand of Michael Jordan. The basketball player gets only 5% of revenues from the company from selling goods under the Air Jordan brand.

Jordan founded his own brand in partnership with Nike in 1984. The first contract was for five years and included a fixed fee of $500,000 per year. Nike also promised to let the basketball player create his own brand separate from the corporation's business.

Today, Air Jordan is among the most commercially successful brands at the intersection of sports and fashion. Nike initially expected a profit of $3 million in the first four years. In fact, the company earned about $130 million in the first year. Michael Jordan's brand today brings Nike $3 million every five hours.

Under his current contract, Jordan has earned $1.3 billion through his partnership with Nike, the sports giant's most expensive contract with the stars. Following in Jordan's footsteps is James LeBron -- his brand is now worth more than $1 billion, and his partnership with Nike continues to flourish.

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