Michael Jordan’s on-court heroics made him one of the most flamboyant superstars in the NBA. From being an athletic monster to his farsightedness, he stood head and shoulders above others. Even though there is an argument about how Kobe Bryant and LeBron James come close to him, many deem him the greatest to have ever played the sport.
Apart from his basketball engagements, his partnership with Nike earned him a fortune. However, there was a way to go about his business, and when he tipped Charles Barkley with the same advice, it simply skyrocketed the latter’s finances. Known as one of the most eminent power forwards in the history of the NBA, Barkley revealed Jordan’s financial advice and what followed thereafter.
Charles Barkley Reveals How Michael Jordan Changed His Fortunes
Talking on “The Steam Room” Podcast, Barkley said that Jordan told him to change his income model with Nike to earn more. Both Jordan and Barkley were playing for Team USA while being sponsored by Nike.
When Jordan had a look at Barkley’s financial contract, he underlined how it can all change for the latter, and that turned out into a moment of reckoning.
Barkley said, “Jordan says, ‘Hey man, why you need all that money?'”
“I was like, ‘Dude, what are you talking about?’ [Jordan] says, ‘I was looking at your contract, you’re 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 I’ve ever seen. Let’s do it.”
The advice turned into gold for Barkley. He revealed that he went on to earn 10 times the amount he would have otherwise made from the contract. Barkley further highlighted that the partnership with Nike worked out so well that it remains in place.
Charles Barkley Rates Jordan and Kobe Bryant Higher Than LeBron James
Talking in the “All the Smoke” podcast back in 2023, Barkley revealed that he rates the holy trinity of Jordan, James, and Bryant extremely high. However, he gave the nod to Jordan and Bryant over James because of their razor-sharp, killer instincts and hunger to win more.
Barkley said, “The difference, in my opinion, is Michael [Jordan] and Kobe [Bryant] will kill you. LeBron’s a nice guy. Ain’t nobody ever said Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant were nice guys.”
He further added, “You can’t train to be a natural born killer.”
His statement was a nod to Bryant and Jordan’s dedication to max out their potential on the court.
Barkley dropped his top 10 NBA players of all time, which included the likes of Jerry West, Hakeem Olajuwon, Tim Duncan, James, Bryant, Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson and No. 1, Jordan.
