Key Takeaways
- LaVar Ball argues that Michael Jordan was underpaid by Nike, claiming Jordan helped generate “over a trillion dollars” and should be worth around $100 billion instead of just a few billion from his sneaker deal.
- Citing reports that Jordan Brand has pulled in tens of billions in revenue and pays Jordan roughly 5 percent—an estimated $250–$350 million a year and over $1.5 billion in his lifetime lifetime—Ball says sneaker companies exploit stars from lower-income backgrounds by making big checks seem bigger than they are.
- He frames his critique as the logic behind Big Baller Brand’s own high-priced, family-controlled model, while his long-running, often clownish public rivalry with Jordan continues against the backdrop of his recent leg amputation and split from his wife Tina.
LaVar Ball thinks Michael Jordan made billions from sneakers—and still got shortchanged.
The Big Baller Brand founder is questioning Jordan's legendary partnership with Nike, arguing that the basketball icon should have walked away with substantially more money from the empire built around his name. In Ball's estimation, Jordan's fortune should be measured not in single-digit billions, but somewhere around $100 billion.
"Jordan, he made Nike over a trillion dollars," Ball said on the Bigg Dogg Chico show. "What did he say? His bank account never went over three or four billion. If I make anybody a trillion dollars in anything, you better at least give me a hundred billion. That makes sense."
The math behind Ball's trillion-dollar claim doesn't line up with reported Jordan Brand sales, but there's no debating the scale of the business Jordan helped create. According to WWD, Jordan Brand has generated tens of billions in revenue since Nike signed the Chicago Bulls superstar in 1984, with annual sales recently topping $7 billion.
Jordan reportedly receives approximately 5 percent of the brand's sales, producing estimated annual checks between $250 million and $350 million. His lifetime Nike earnings have reportedly surpassed $1.5 billion—compared with roughly $94 million in salary during his entire NBA career.
For LaVar, that's still not enough.
"Everybody who's really good at something, they're gonna come from a lower-income neighborhood," Ball said. "So you give them a little bit of something, they think it's a lot, but it's nothing."
It's also an argument that gets directly to the philosophy behind Big Baller Brand. When Lonzo Ball entered the NBA in 2017, LaVar rejected the traditional sneaker-company playbook and instead pushed a family-owned brand built around his sons.
Big Baller Brand's $495 ZO2 sneaker was mocked for its price, but Ball remained adamant that athletes should control the businesses built from their names rather than simply collect endorsement checks from established companies.
Of course, LaVar talking about Jordan comes with nearly a decade of baggage.
In 2017, Ball famously declared that he would "kill" Jordan one-on-one during their respective primes. Jordan eventually responded by pointing out that LaVar averaged just 2.2 points at Washington State. "I don't think he could beat me if I was one-legged," Jordan joked.
The rivalry took another turn in 2020 when Jordan's Charlotte Hornets drafted LaVar's youngest son, LaMelo Ball, with the No. 3 overall pick.
Jordan ultimately sold his majority stake in the Hornets in 2023, but the sneaker empire that helped make him a billionaire continues to generate enormous business for Nike.
He's also publicly confirmed his separation from Tina Ball after nearly 30 years of marriage.
