Today, Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley are two of the biggest names in the NBA. The star status of his Airness speaks for itself and thanks to his media work, Sir Charles is known to a whole new generation of fans. However, there was a time when both men played basketball and were underpaid for their services.
While it would be easy to imagine reality rubbing MJ the wrong way – he was more than capable of taking things personally – it seems like that isn’t the case. According to Barkley, Jordan said they had to pull themselves together and honor their respective contracts. After all, they were the ones who put pen to paper.
Charles Barkley recalls that Michael Jordan didn’t want his contract to affect his performance
When Scottie Pippen promoted his book, he made many eyebrow-raising comments. Finally, as one of the leading players to break into the media, Charles Barkley addressed some of them, particularly on the financial side of things. In Round Mound of Rebound’s assessment, Pip had no right to be angry with Jordan, at least on the contractual side.
“I was actually in the exact same situation as Scottie,” Chuck explained during a SiriusXM interview, which is preserved on YouTube. “I was probably cheated out of $100 million. So, if I remember The Last Dance correctly, me and Scottie were probably in exactly that situation. So my first agent was a crook, so he stole all my money. So after four years I was broke… So I went to the Sixers, and that was before anyone started making big bucks. You know, in the NBA, you could only get incremental raises each year. So obviously I had no idea salaries were going to skyrocket. So I ended up signing a 10-year contract so I would at least have some money for the rest of my life.”
However, it wasn’t long before NBA TV revenue skyrocketed, driving salaries higher than ever. Those who prioritized stability stuck to the old course.
As Sir Charles indicated, his situation was not unusual. Scottie Pippen signed a seven-year deal for just under $20 million, and Michael Jordan didn’t make big bucks until he returned from minor league baseball.
MJ was aware of this reality but didn’t seem overly concerned, at least from what he told Barkley.
“Michael was probably my best friend back then,” Chuck continued. “And we both talked about it. …So I was in the exact same situation, but you know what? Me and Michael said, ‘Hey man.’ He said, “Hey, Charles. We signed the deal. Zip your lips.'”
Needless to say, both men saw through their contracts.
Both Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley have made up their missing NBA earnings
Nowadays, the idea of a big NBA star earning around $3 million a season sounds unbelievable. However, as Sir Charles said, that was simply the reality of professional basketball in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
With that said, both men have since made up for lost time.
As mentioned above, Jordan was able to reap the rewards of a changing financial landscape after returning from baseball diamond. He signed two contracts, one in 1996 and another in 1997, both paying more than $30 million for a season of work.
In addition, His Airness is also a commercial juggernaut. He translated his on-court success into numerous big-name endorsements, with the Jordan brand serving as the crown jewel. That, in turn, has enabled the living NBA legend to purchase the Charlotte Hornets and amassed a net worth of $1.7 billion.
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As for Barkley, he may not have that much financial clout, but he’s not exactly looking for pennies in the sofa cushions. The forward made about $40 million during his gaming career, and while there have been some gambling losses along the way, his work at TNT is paying off handsomely. According to The New York Post’s Andrew Marchand, his latest “life-changing deal” is worth at least $100 million over 10 years and could reach $200 million in total.
Although we don’t know, it’s safe to assume that Michael Jordan doesn’t need to persuade Chuck to honor that contract.
Contract information courtesy of Spotrac.
