Charles Barkley Reveals How Michael Jordan’s Advice Helped Him Amass A Fortune From Nike
NBA legends Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley might not be on the best terms now, but they were good friends for decades. During their playing days, they faced each other in some fierce battles on the court, but off the court, they shared a bond that was built on mutual respect and admiration.
During a recent interview, Charles Barkley revealed that Michael Jordan gave him a crucial piece of advice early in his career that proved to be invaluable. According to Barkley, Jordan shared this advice with him during their Nike contract negotiations after reviewing his contract.
“He says ‘Hey man, why you need all that money?’ I was like ‘Dude, what are you talking about?’ He says ‘I was looking at your contract, you making about three million dollars, tell Nike you want a million, and you want the rest in stock options.’ I said I will run it by my guys. This dude is the greatest basketball player of all time – let’s do it,” Barkley said.
Nike took a calculated risk by signing Michael Jordan to a lucrative deal, which paid off handsomely as the company eventually became one of the most successful brands in the world. That decision has allowed Jordan to become a billionaire and, by extension, it made other athletes like Charles Barkley millions and millions of dollars from endorsements and stock options.
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So how did those stock options work out for Barkley? Pretty, pretty, pretty good.
“I actually made probably 10 times the amount of money. And I’m still with Nike to this day,” Barkley shared.
MJ’s legendary advice to Chuck on his Nike contract 🤯💸 pic.twitter.com/7Cj52jAZaF
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 4, 2023