Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time, but he’s also one of the greatest businessmen in the history of the sport. From the very beginning of his career, he was always focused on how he could make as much money as possible. There’s even a movie starring Ben Affleck and Matt Damon released in 2023 about it and how he changed sports forever with his Nike endorsement contract.
The former shooting guard is one of the most recognisable athletes of all time and during his career, he helped transform the Chicago Bulls from a team that had never won an NBA title into one of the strongest dynasties in the history of the association, with six rings in eight years. For his efforts, he was paid very handsomely, though.
Throughout his career, particularly towards the end of his time on the court, Jordan had one of the highest salaries in the NBA. Over the years, salaries have continued to rise, though, and these days, the salary he earned during the 1997/98 season pales in comparison to the figures that even role players are making these days. At the time, however, it was an eye-watering figure and, adjusted for inflation, his salary would reach record-breaking numbers.
Michael Jordan’s 1997/98 Salary
In the 1997/98 season, Jordan and the Chicago Bulls won their third of three straight NBA titles. It would prove to be his last ever championship in the association and he retired temporarily after the season wrapped up. Before he called time on his run with the franchise, though, he dominated for the Bulls and the 1998 title was the culmination of his incredible run in Chicago.
He might have been approaching the end of his career, but Jordan still led the league in points-per-game, averaging 28.7 on a nightly basis. He was phenomenal right until his final game with the Bulls and they paid him handsomely for his efforts that year. According to Basketball Reference, MJ received just over $33m during the 1997/98 season.
It was $3m more than the previous season, but at least $30m more than he’d been paid in any other years outside of those two. It marked a massive increase in his wage and showed just how highly he was valued by Chicago. He was far and away the highest paid player in the NBA at the time, but as the years have passed, and salaries have grown season after season, his lofty wage doesn’t look quite as impressive to the modern audience. That is until you adjust it for inflation, however.
Michael Jordan’s 1997/98 Salary – Adjusted For Inflation
Taking Jordan’s $33m salary in 1997/98 and adjusting it for inflation to match today’s market, the former shooting guard would be making a staggering $65,019,257. That salary is just outrageous and would instantly make him the highest paid player in the league today if he were an active player. The highest earner in the NBA is Stephen Curry and he has been for the last eight years. His salary after the 2024/25 season, though, is still nowhere close to what Jordan’s would be.
The Golden State Warriors icon earned $55,761,216 last season and will be taking home just under $60m in the upcoming year. He’s earned every bit of his salary too, helping transform the league with his incredible three-point shooting. He led the Warriors to NBA glory and helped make them one of the most dominant franchises in the history of the league.
He’s approaching the end of his career, but is still operating at a very high level. Having spent his entire career with Golden State, he’s beloved by fans, former players and executives associated with the franchise and they’ve paid him to reflect that. Still, his figures aren’t close to what Jordan was earning in 1998 when adjusted for inflation.
It’s a testament to how incredible Jordan was and, having retired for the third and final time in 2003, fans are still talking about his greatness 22 years after he stepped away from the court forever.
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