When the greatest player of all time gives you advice, you take it.
For most, Michael Jordan, is the greatest player ever. However, there are numerous instances where the Chicago Bulls legend has demonstrated his visionary abilities outside of the game, particularly in the business world.
One such story was shared by Hall of Famer Charles Barkley, who can still thank His Airness for the counsel that helped him make a fortune.
"We both go to Nike, they sign Michael and they sign me. And Michael gave me some great advice one time," Sir Charles recalled with the NBA on TNT.
"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," he continued.
It's no secret that Jordan ranks first on the list of the wealthiest basketball players of all time, thanks to his business ventures and partnership with Nike.
Today, Nike is renowned as the biggest sports brand in the world, but at the time of signing the contract, hardly anyone could have predicted such worldwide fame for the Oregon giant. However, it appears that Michael did, and he wanted Chuck, who is no stranger to sweets, to have a "piece of the cake" as well.
Barkley liked that idea, went through it with the legal team and decided to redo the contract at the persuasion of the greatest player of all time. Although he sacrificed money for a short time, that move, as he states, brought him ten times the amount over the years.
But even today, the legend of the Phoenix Suns is a member of the great Nike family, which gathers only the cream of the crop of athletes in all sports.
"I actually made probably 10 times the amount of money. And I'm still with Nike to this day," Chuck concluded.
