Much has been made over the course of the last few weeks regarding Kobe Bryant surpassing Michael Jordan for third all-time in points scored. While that is certainly an impressive career accomplishment for one of the most decorated shooting guards in NBA history, Bryant still does not come anywhere close to Jordan in terms of financial impact and annual earnings.
That is not to say that Bryant has not had some success with product endorsements, of course. In 2013, he made a reported $34 million endorsing products like Turkish Air, Lenovo , Hublot, Panini, and of course Nike, the latter of which is responsible for most of that income. This places him second among active NBA players behind only LeBron James, proving that prolonged success in professional basketball is just about the surest way for an athlete to make some serious bank pushing products.
Jordan, however, is the financial standard by which all other athletes are measured. Since Kobe has spent his entire career trying to surpass His Airness’ legacy in every possible way, it certainly is worth mentioning that he will never—not in a million years—make or generate as much money as Michael Jordan has made and continues to make off the court.
For example, in the 2013 fiscal year Jordan brought home over $100 million in endorsements, around $75 million of which came from Nike alone. That makes him the highest-paid athlete endorser in sports behind only boxing’s Floyd Mayweather. This is a rare feat not only because of the enormous amount, but also because Jordan retired from basketball (for the third and final time) all the way back in 2003. It is hard to think of even one modern athlete that could remain such a profitable global spokesperson for over a decade after retiring from his or her sport.
Jordan’s sneaker line is undoubtedly the biggest reason for his continued prominence as a sports global icon. Nike’s brand, Air Jordan, brought in $2.7 billion in 2013 and the shoes are still relevant even among young consumers, most of whom never even watched him play basketball live. His last NBA championship was in 1998, which means sixteen-year-olds wearing his sneakers are supporting a player they know about only in lore.
Bryant, meanwhile, is still playing, and his shoes are considerably less in-demand and less recognizable than those of the man whose scoring record he just surpassed.
If Bryant is the closest thing we have ever seen to Jordan on the court, one would assume that he would be at least nearly as successful as him off the court with sponsorship and endorsement deals. Yet, that simply has not been the case over the course of his career, despite five championships in one of the country’s largest and most voracious sports markets.
One could argue that Bryant’s legal troubles in 2003 damaged Bryant’s ability to build sustained relationships with potential marketing partners (McDonald’s, for example, dropped him in the wake of those sexual assault allegations). Nonetheless like Kobe, Jordan has also made some disparaging actions over the course of the last 25 years to hurt his own image. There were damaging gambling rumors in 1993, outright accusations of infidelity in his marriage that led to a 2006 divorce, and even a paternity lawsuit that same year. However, none of it has slowed down Jordan’s economic appeal.
Why, though, has Jordan remained relevant despite the fact that he is 50 years old?
It has to be his ongoing ability to resonate with consumers. His Q score is the highest among current athletes and has been in all but one year since 1987. There are more fan web pages devoted to him and more Facebook fan page followers for him than any other athlete. Worldwide, he is still the most recognizable face in sports, very likely because he transcended the sport when he came onto the scene in 1984. Bryant, while talented, did not reinvent or revolutionize the game. Rather, he mostly emulated Mike, who was the first to wear baggy shorts, the first to popularize signature basketball shoes, and the first to lead a professional U.S. Olympic hoops team to lopsided gold back in 1992.
In short, Kobe followed Michael’s lead, and since Michael is still leading, Kobe is still following.
Topping Jordan in total points scored was certainly a major achievement for Bryant (even though it took him 50 extra games to get there), but the reality is that Jordan is still the king of the basketball world from a financial standpoint. Nobody—not Kobe, not LeBron, not even reigning league MVP Kevin Durant—is anywhere near toppling MJ’s legendary monetary statistics.
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