Inside Michael Jordan’s Lavish Lifestyle, Private Jet, and Custom Homes
Michael Jordan is widely acknowledged as the greatest player ever to put on an NBA jersey. Over the course of his 15 years in the league, he set countless individual records, won five MVP awards, and was selected to 14 All-Star teams and 10 All-NBA first teams. Oh, and he also won six titles as a member of the Chicago Bulls.
Jordan’s athletic greatness also meant that he earned—and still earns—massive amounts of money through contracts, sponsorships, and business deals. With that kind of wealth, Jordan can afford to live basically any lifestyle he wants. Here we delve a bit deeper into Jordan’s NBA earnings and net worth, as well as some of the lavish ways he chooses to spend his wealth.
Jordan’s net worth and career earnings
Players back in the 1990s didn’t earn even a sliver of what they make now. Yet Jordan still managed to rack up some significant contract money, most of which came during the 1996-97 and 1997-98 seasons. In those two years, Jordan’s contract earnings netted him over $63 million. Add in the rest of his seasons, and Jordan made a total of $86.7 million as a player.
Of course, those numbers are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Jordan’s total earnings. His numerous sponsorship deals dwarf the amount of money he made through contracts—both then and now. In 2019 alone, Jordan made an estimated $145 million through sponsorship deals for companies like Nike, Gatorade, and Hanes.
Jordan has also amassed significant amounts of wealth as the result of his 2010 purchase of the Charlotte Hornets franchise. The value of the team has skyrocketed since then, pushing Jordan’s total net worth to around $1.9 billion. All things considered, Jordan remains the single most highly paid athlete of all time.
Jordan’s homes
Jordan has spent a significant amount of money on his homes. Currently, he owns four of them: one in Florida, one in Charlotte, one in Salt Lake City, and one in Chicago. His Florida home is by far the most lavish, and cost him well over $20 million when you factor in land, construction, and other costs. Apparently the 26,299 square foot mansion contains a total of 11 bedrooms and 11.5 bathrooms.
Incredibly, Jordan’s Chicago home is even larger, at 32,700 square feet. Jordan has been trying to sell the house for over seven years now and has even slashed the original $29 million asking price considerably—all to no avail. The property taxes alone continue to cost Jordan an excess of $100,000 per year.
Other parts of Jordan’s lavish lifestyle
Jordan’s lavish lifestyle doesn’t stop at owning four different mansions. He also owns his own private jet, a Gulfstream G-IV. Originally the jet was painted Carolina blue, with the Jordan logo on the tail, and his jersey number and six titles worked into the ID number. Recently, however, the jet got a makeover with a striking tan and grey elephant print design that matches the design used on some of his Jordan Brand gear.
Jordan also owns a 154-foot mega-yacht known as Mr. Terrible. He owns a massive car collection, including vehicles from Mercedes, Pontiac, Ferrari, Land Rover, and other luxury manufacturers. Whenever Jordan travels overseas, he takes along a private security team whose members call him “Yahweh”—a Hebrew word meaning “god.”
Jordan’s also got plenty of hobbies. One of his best known involves his fondness for cigars. In a 2017 interview with Cigar Aficionado magazine, Jordan boasted that he smoked six cigars a day. That kind of habit would be outside the reach of most mortals, but it makes perfect sense within the context of Jordan’s lavish lifestyle.
