Michael Jordan's Endorsement Is Worth More Now Than Ever

By Samantha Abernethy in News on Sep 27, 2011 7:20PM

Michael Jordan still reigns as king of the commercial, even though he has long been off the court. Forbes estimates that His Airness brings in $60 million in endorsements annually, more than what he made when he was a player.

Tiger Woods is the only athlete that makes more money than Jordan, but Jordan is far more popular. A poll shows Michael Jordan is far more popular than any other sports figure today, described as "liked by 93% of people surveyed." Forbes writes:

Nielsen and E-Poll Market Research produce an N-Score for celebrities that measures appeal, likability and awareness. No athlete comes close to matching MJ’s stats who has an N-Score of 682, nearly 300 points higher than any other sports figure. His 71% awareness is among the highest in sports (only Tiger Woods, OJ Simpson and Mike Tyson rank higher and not necessarily for the right reasons).

Plus, Jordan's Facebook page has 13.6 million fans, which makes him fourth highest among athletes worldwide. Portuguese soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo has the most.

Jordan makes the bulk of his wealth from Nike. Nike's Jordan Brand shoes hold 71 percent of the U.S. basketball shoe market. His other sponsors include Gatorade, Hanes, Upper Deck and 2K Sports. Plus, he rakes in some dough from his restaurants, including the steakhouse he opened last week on the Magnificent Mile. And last, but not least, he is the first former NBA player to become majority owner of a franchise, the North Carolina Bobcats.

Check out our previous roundup of some of Master Pitchman Jordan's earlier TV commercial work, including Chevy, Coca-Cola and Afro Sheen.