Nike earned $126 million from sales of Air Jordans within year one. By 2019, the Jordan brand reached $3.1 billion in sales. In 2020, the Jordan brand hit a milestone of its first billion dollar quarter (Badenhausen).
By 2020, 77% of NBA players had Air Jordan shoes on their feet. According to Forbes, Nike had cornered 86% share of the performance basketball market and 96% of the lifestyle basketball market by 2019 (Sen Gupta).
In 2021, Nike paid Michael Jordan a staggering $150 million; this amounts to $410,000 per day. He has a current net worth of $2.1 billion (Badenhausen).
This photo sums up the true financial success of the Jordan Brand:
The Jordan brand had huge profits from the beginning and became the dominant player in the athletic apparel and footwear industry. The massive success of the Nike x Jordan partnership led the Jordan brand to redefine sports commercialization, marketing, and branding for every other athlete and sport in the game.