Jordan loves to golf, and in 2021, the nickname of his exclusive golf course, Grove XXIII, surfaced. Dubbed “Slaughterhouse 23”, it earned the name because it was designed by Jordan, for Jordan, and aimed at maximising Jordan’s style of play against his opponents. He even has a custom, Carolina-blue golf cart emblazoned with the iconic Jumpman logo.

The Florida course has lavish amenities, including a drone delivery service that brings beer and other refreshments to the club’s members.

Investment in Dapper Labs

In March 2021, Jordan was part of a US$305 million investment in Dapper Labs, the start-up behind the virtual trading card platform NBA Top Shot. Other investors included Will Smith, Kevin Durant, and US rapper 2 Chainz.

The NFT company has since fallen on hard times as the crypto markets have cratered and recently had to lay off 22 per cent of its staff, according to a letter made public by Dapper Labs CEO Roham Gharegozlou.

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Philanthropy

Jordan also donated US$2 million of his earnings from his 2020 docuseries The Last Dance to Feeding America’s food banks in Chicago and the Carolinas. “In these challenging times and in a year of unimaginable difficulty due to Covid-19, it’s more important than ever to pause and give thanks,” he said in a statement.

In 2020, Jordan and Nike’s Jordan brand pledged to donate US$100 million over 10 years to organisations fighting for “racial quality, social justice, and greater access to education”. The announcement came amid nationwide Black Lives Matter protests over the killing of George Floyd.

In 2016, Jordan also pledged two large donations to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the International Association of Chiefs of Police’s new Institute for Community-Police Relations. This came after a string of police shootings.

Jordan also donated US$7 million to at-risk communities in Charlotte, North Carolina, to launch two medical clinics in troubled areas of the city in 2017, per Washington Post.

Equity stake in sports betting company DraftKings

DraftKings announced in September 2020 that Jordan had taken an equity stake in the sports betting company, along with a special adviser role. The company’s shares immediately surged 12 per cent following the announcement.

Such investments appear to have paid off for Jordan given that his income now far exceeds what he made during his NBA years.

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Nike’s hugely successful Jordan brand

Nike founder Phil Knight called signing Jordan the best decision he ever made, nabbing the NBA rookie for US$250,000 a year in 1984. Jordan reportedly wanted to sign with Adidas in 1984, but they passed because they preferred NBA players who were 7 feet tall, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Nike’s Jordan brand alone now brings in US$5 billion in revenue each year.

Nike’s Jordan Brand has even partnered with the popular video game Fortnite.

Charlotte Hornets club owner

Jordan did sell a minority stake in the club in 2019, but he reportedly has no interest in giving up control of the team. He is still waiting for the day the Hornets win a championship.

He has said that winning a championship as an owner would be more gratifying than any of the six rings he won as a player.

Endorsements

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Nowadays, he still has several endorsement deals with companies like Gatorade, trading card company Upper Deck and Hanes. He’s been a spokesman for the company for nearly 30 years.

Jordan said he has always been picky about his endorsements because he wanted to be genuine and also build his own brand. He once rejected a huge endorsement deal with canned food brand Beanee Weenee because he didn’t like the name.

Jordan told Playboy, ‘How can I stand in front of a camera and say I’ll eat Beanee Weenees?’ He said the deal was worth close to US$1 million per year, and at the time, he was making less than US$5 million in career earnings.

A string of businesses

Jordan also owns several restaurants, including 1000 North in Florida, Michael Jordan’s Steakhouse, which has locations in Connecticut, Washington, and Chicago, and Michael Jordan in Chicago, an upscale restaurant serving ‘elevated American classics’.

He even owns a Nissan car showroom in Durham, North Carolina.

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Private jets

Michael Jordan has a private jet that’s painted Carolina blue, and whose ID number contains his jersey number (23) and number of titles he won (six).

Luxury cars

The very first cars Jordan bought after he received his US$10 million signing bonus from the Chicago Bulls were a collection of Mercedes and Pontiacs – reportedly buying seven cars all at once for himself and his family members.

… and ultra luxe mansions

He spent US$12.8 million building his dream house in Florida in 2012 and also owns a US$2.8 million house near Charlotte, North Carolina that has some incredible lake views.

The house is still on the market and the price is down to US$14.9 million. It is estimated that Jordan has paid more than US$680,000 in property taxes since he first put the house up for sale.

Luxury real estate brokers think the amount of customisation the house has undergone to become Jordan’s personal palace is one of the reasons the property hasn’t sold yet.

They also list the mismatch of location and price as a possible reason – homes in the same area have a median value of US$476,391, whereas homes at the price point Jordan is listing are typically located closer to Lake Michigan.

Legal battles

In 2016, Jordan won a case against a Chinese sportswear company that was using his Chinese name.

The company had been using a logo similar to Jordan’s Air Jordan logo, and the characters used spell out his name in Chinese – Qiaodan Sports. He first sued the company in 2012, but lower-level courts ruled in favour of the company.

However that’s not the only lawsuit he’s been involved in that pertained to his name and branding. Two supermarkets, Dominick’s and Jewel-Osco, also associated themselves with Jordan without his permission.

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Jordan sued and won millions but he didn’t keep all the money. Instead, he donated millions to 23 charities benefiting the children of Chicago.

Travel expenses

Jordan reportedly never travels overseas without a security team, which sets him back a cool US$1,000 to US$1,500 per hour. His code name is reportedly ‘Yahweh’ – the Hebrew word for God.

Other travel splurges include a 47-metre mega yacht named Mr. Terrible.

MJ’s legacy

Michael Jordan’s post-basketball career is already influencing the next generation. Several current and former players have expressed an interest in following in his footsteps and buying NBA teams, including LeBron James, who wants to own an NBA expansion franchise in Las Vegas.

In addition to winning six NBA championships, Jordan has won other prestigious awards too. In 2016, Barack Obama awarded him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom because, as Obama joked, Jordan is “more than just an internet meme”.

Jordan has been a preferred meme for years – many still post this photo of Jordan crying during his 2009 Basketball Hall of Fame induction on social media.