Shohei Ohtani and Michael Jordan. Credits: Imago

29-year-old Japanese sensation Shohei Ohtani recently signed a massive $700 million, 10-year contract with Los Angeles. Becoming the highest-paid MLB player of all time, Ohtani signed what is the biggest individual contract in American team sports history. What is even more impressive is the fact that for Ohtani, considered the most elite two-way baseball player of all time, the contract is only one part of the overall earnings that he will take home this year.

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According to Forbes, the Japanese International has made at least a further $35 million via earnings from off-field endorsements. That includes a New Balance long-term deal that has made Ohtani rank among the most well-paid sportsmen of all time, let alone this year.

The shoe deal was described in terms of financials to be similar to ones that are generally signed by NBA players. Regardless, while Ohtani is set to become the highest-paid MLB star in terms of overall value as well, he still lags behind an obvious name from the NBA.

Michael Jordan, with a whopping net worth of $3.3 billion, continues to embarrass the elite-most of athletes when it comes to sheer paychecks. MJ has been estimated to be preparing to take home an astounding $330,000,000 this year from Nike alone, as part of his stake in the earnings accrued by his Jordan brand.

Nike has been reported to have made $6.6 billion from the Jordan brand in 2023, and Jordan’s 5% shares come to around $330 million. Ohtani’s contract might be worth $700 million, but it comes down to around $100 million annually.

This means that MJ will manage to take home $225,000,000 more than Ohtani’s overall earnings this year, based on his Nike bag alone. What’s more, MJ also finalized a $3 billion sale of the Charlotte Hornets in August 2023, which is expected to almost double his current net worth.

When the $3 billion-odd windfall is considered, Ohtani’s earnings are comprehensively dwarfed further, with the difference effecting coming out to around $3,000,000,000. Those, are astounding figures.

Michael Jordan is considered to be the highest-paid athlete of all time

MJ’s net worth as it stands before the Hornets windfall puts him 379th on Forbes’ list of 400 Richest People in the World, according to CBS News. Jordan became a billionaire back in 2014 for the first time, and he can be expected to break the $5 billion mark once the Hornets’ money comes in.

According to Statista, MJ’s fortune means that he is the richest athlete in the history of sports. Trailed by Tiger Woods a net worth of $2.7 billion, MJ effectively has managed to dwarf the earnings of some of the highest-paid athletes of all time.

Hence, in addition to revolutionizing the game and creating an incredible legacy with the Bulls, Michael Jordan also managed to succeed as a businessman off the court. Considering the kind of a tough childhood and early years that MJ had, it must be surreal to even imagine the kind of journey he has managed. The result is that he is still reaping the rewards of his incredible career, at the age of 60.