Many things are on display during The Last Dance, ESPN’s 10-part docuseries about the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls. One of those things is that Michael Jordan, the star of those Bulls teams, has a lot of money, as evidenced by the multiple rooms that he sits in for interviews, one of which is gigantic and glowing and white and looks like it is where especially wealthy people hang out in purgatory.
Jordan’s basketball earnings were quite high, but he’s made a killing as a businessman, whether that’s been through his myriad of endorsement deals or as the man behind Jordan Brand. Forbes estimates that Jordan possesses a net worth of $2.1 billion.
According to longtime agent David Falk, this kind of cash means Jordan can do things like being selective about public appearances. One story Falk recalled on “Boomer and Gio” involves Jordan deciding that two hours of his time was not worth nine figures.
“I brought him a deal three years ago for $100 million. All he had to do was, other than giving his name and likeness, make a one two-hour appearance to announce the deal, and he turned it down,” Falk said, per CNN. “God bless him. He’s been so successful, it gives him an opportunity to do whatever the hell he wants or not to do things he doesn’t want. I really admire that. He’s very, very selective in the things he wants to be involved in.”
To start, $100 million is far too much to give a person for a public appearance, even if they are Michael Jordan. While he has long been careful about the things he puts his name on — it stands to reason that giving his name and likeness was not something MJ was fond of — this is still quite the payday for Jordan to turn down, even if you’re are as well-off as him.