On Oct. 6, 1993, Michael Jordan sent shock waves through the sports world by announcing his retirement from the Chicago Bulls and the NBA. After pulling off the league's first three-peat since the 1960s, and stricken by grief in the wake of his father's murder, Jordan decided to try his hand at baseball.
While Jordan left the game that made him a worldwide icon, his sojourn with the Birmingham Barons didn't cost him a penny. According to Roland Lazenby, the author of Michael Jordan: The Life, the Bulls paid him his $4 million salary during the 1993-94 season. The following year, Jordan drew $3.85 million, despite returning in mid-March.
Compared to what NBA players make today, that salary, once one of the highest in the league, would hardly befit a superstar of Jordan's stature. According to Basketball-Reference.com, the average salary for the upcoming 2015-16 season will be north of $4.3 million.
That number is set to skyrocket in the years to come. Besides its expanding revenue from gate receipts and merchandise sales, the NBA is anticipati ...
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Article written by Josh Martin