The first two chapters of The Last Dance, ESPN’s 10-part documentary into the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls, was a hit. Unsurprisingly, the general hype surrounding the series mixed with the fact that sports are on hiatus for the foreseeable future in the United States meant that the Worldwide Leader got record ratings on Sunday night.
Based on a report by Forbes, the biggest name involved in the project is set to profit handsomely. Kurt Badenhausen wrote that Michael Jordan is in line to make “at least $3 million to $4 million” off of the series, although Badenhausen brings word that Jordan won’t see a penny of it, as he’s slated to donate all of it to charity.
Of course, while $3-4 million is more money than most of us will ever know, that’s pocket change for Jordan, whose net worth is around $2.1 billion. As for how he stands to profit so much, ESPN has previously reported that Jordan consented to the league following the Bulls around during his final season in Chicago in exchange for creative control.
“Our agreement will be that neither one of us can use this footage without the other’s permission,” Adam Silver told Jordan back when he was in charge of NBA Entertainment. “It will be kept — I mean literally it was physical film — as a separate part of our Secaucus [New Jersey] library. Our producers won’t have access to it. It will only be used with your permission.”
Fortunately for basketball fans everywhere, Jordan eventually got on board with the league and ESPN turning all of that film into something.
