Michael Jordan, who celebrates his 58th birthday today, is considered by the National Basketball Association to be the greatest player of all time. Competing in 15 seasons between 1984 and 2003, he led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships and was ranked the season’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) five times. He’s also sold a lot of shoes. In 2014, he became the first billionaire in NBA history and, with a reported wealth of £1.52 billion, is currently the fourth richest African-American. In 2016, he received the Presidential Medal Of Freedom from his sometime golf buddy Barack Obama.
Along the way, he’s played himself in a Michael Jackson music video, starred in the 1996 hit movie Space Jam and been the subject of 2020’s Emmy-winning docuseries The Last Dance. He’s the principal owner of the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets and has recently made the leap into Nascar with his own race team – because, as you’re about to find out, No23 loves to spend his hard-earned dollars on some slam-dunk sports cars.
Chevrolet Corvette C4 (1984)
“Air Jordan” is most closely associated with Nike, but Michael’s first endorsement deal came courtesy of a Chevrolet dealer in Chicago at the start of his NBA rookie season in 1984. A new 5.7-litre V8-powered C4 was given to the 21-year-old in return for doing some commercials. The C4 had only been in showrooms for a few months yet was globally recognisable from TV screens courtesy of The A-Team. Its sharp styling marked a departure from the more voluptuous “Boogie Nights” C3 ’Vette from the 1970s. Given Jordan’s shirt number and his ability to levitate towards the hoop, the Illinois licence plate “JUMP 23” was chosen for his silver sports car.
Porsche 930 Turbo Cabriolet ‘Flat Nose’ (1989)
The original Air Jordan sneakers were produced exclusively for Mike in late 1984 and released to the public in 1985. The basketball shoes became a phenomenon. Jordan has taken a percentage of every pair of Air Jordans sold around the world since, earning him some £950 million. His white Flat Nose, AKA Slant Nose 930 Turbo Cabriolet, is said to have been the inspiration for the Air Jordan VI, first manufactured in 1991. The heel tab is reminiscent of the Porsche’s whale-tail spoiler. This car was essentially a road-going version of Porsche’s superb 935 racer. Its 325bhp turbocharged flat-six delivered 60mph in 4.9 seconds and it earned its moniker by replacing the traditional 911’s “bug” headlights with pop-up lamps.
Toyota Land Cruiser J80 (1991)
Mike loves golf even more than he loves b-ball, and he likes to bet. He’s been known to wager £220,000 a hole. Anyone who’s playing for that kind of money probably owns a very big bag of very good (and, in his case, long) clubs and they’re not going to fit under the hood of a low-slung Porsche. Jordan has since grown loyal to Range Rovers but his first big SUV was the most no-nonsense of them all. Ask any bushman, Tuareg or Taliban and they’ll tell you that Land Rovers have nothing on the mighty Land Cruiser. In Colombia and Venezuela, the 80-Series was nicknamed the “Burbuja”, meaning “Bubble”, due to its round shape – not something the 6ft 6in Jordan could be described as.
Ferrari 512TR (1992)
His Airness was going through a phase of buying cars in colours to match his suits, which is why he selected his first Ferrari in black. With the number plate “M AIR J”, the 512 TR (essentially an uprated, facelifted Testarossa) looked extra slick and was a gift to himself for winning his first NBA championship with the Chicago Bulls in 1991. Five other championships followed, as did more Ferraris. He’s also owned a 550 Maranello (which is said to have inspired the breathable air ducts and Jumpman shield design on the Air Jordan XIV trainer) and a 599 GTB Fiorano. He doesn’t bother with the V8s; clearly, he likes his Fezzas to pack 12 cylinders. Enzo Ferrari was the same way.
Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 40th Anniversary Edition (1993)
Despite his ardour for exotic European machinery, “Money” maintained his affection for Corvettes. In 1997 he was given a C5, but before that he took delivery of the 40th Anniversary Edition of the 405bhp ZR1, in ruby red like the other 224 made. In 1993, Jordan and the Bulls secured a “three-peat” of three consecutive championship victories. When young Seattle SuperSonics point guard Gary Payton tried to trash-talk Jordan, saying he could afford flash cars too, MJ retorted, “The cars I got are just like yours, except mine were free.”
Mercedes W140 S600 Coupé By Lorinser (1996)
In late 1993, following exhausting finals against the Phoenix Suns and grieving the murder of his father in a carjacking, Jordan shocked the sport by retiring. Further surprise came when, in 1994, he signed a Minor League Baseball contract with the Chicago White Sox. J-Baller has said the decision was made to pursue the dream of his old man, who originally wanted his son to be a Major League Baseball star. Meanwhile, the Bulls were struggling and in 1995 he returned after 18 months out. The press release comprised two words: “I’m back.” This led to a second “three-peat”, the Dream Team including Dennis Rodman and Scottie Pippen. In the middle of all this was MJ’s acquisition of a W140 S600 Coupé. Finished in a metallic green so dark it might as well be black, the Merc was equipped with a wide body kit with 18-inch chrome Monobloc wheels and custom dual pipes, all installed by stalwart Benz tuner Lorinser. The V12 lux-o-barge was sold on Ebay last year, with 157,000 miles on the odometer, for £147,000. It’s fair to say the Jordan signature on the title document contributed significantly to the hammer price.
Porsche 993 Turbo S (1998)
Jordan quit the Bulls and basketball for the second time at the end of the historic 1998 season, but not before performing the automotive slam dunk of buying a bright red 993 Turbo S with the registration “AIR”. Manufactured by the highly select Porsche Exclusiv department, the high-spec Turbo S has a power upgrade, lots of weight-saving carbon fibre and yellow brake calipers which mark it out as a Stuttgart special. As this was the last of the air-cooled turbos, this car is especially sought after and worth £320,000 even without celebrity association. Michael’s love of tricked-out 911s has continued in recent years, as he’s added the GT3 RS 4.0 and GT2 RS to his collection.
Aston Martin DB7 Volante (2001)
At the turn of the millennium, it looked like the GOAT had bounced his final ball. In January 2000, he became the part-owner and president of the Washington Wizards, but said he was 99.9 per cent certain he’d hung up his boots. The 0.01 per cent chance happened in 2001 when he returned to the NBA playing for his own Wizards team. During his reign in DC, Mike drove a Rannoch red Aston Martin DB7 Volante, replacing it with a silver DB9 Volante once he’d retired for good in 2003.
Bentley Continental GT (2005)
Following the Porsche 930 Turbo Flat Nose and the Ferrari 550 Maranello, Bentley’s Continental GT became the third car from MJ’s collection to directly inspire a shoe design, in this case the diamond-quilted Air Jordan XXI, drawing upon the Conti’s cosseting leather cabin and silky smooth suspension.
Cadillac XLR-V (2006)
So keen were General Motors to have Michael Jordan own a Cadillac that the company transported three XLR-Vs to him via truck in the three available colours – Infra Red, Black Raven and Light Platinum – and let him pick his favourite. Perhaps missing his glory days with the Chicago Bulls, he picked the red. The XLR was a handsome luxury two-seater – sort of a Yankee Mercedes SL – with a folding hardtop and Bulgari-designed interior instruments. The “V” was the most powerful supercharged variant, boasting 443bhp. Unfortunately, on this rare occasion, MJ’s endorsement did little to shift units and Cadillac sold half as many as they’d hoped.
McLaren-Mercedes SLR 722 (2007)
His Airness has owned several AMG Mercedes: the SL55 AMG, CL65 AMG and SLS AMG Gullwing. But his fastest silver arrow came not from Merc’s in-house performance department, but its partner in Formula One at the time: McLaren. Introduced in 2006, the 722 is a limited edition of the SLR supercar, built to honour the late Stirling Moss’ victory in the 1955 Mille Miglia with his Mercedes 300 SLR. His starting number was 722. A supercharged 5.4-litre supercharged V8 sits under the long bonnet, spitting out 641bhp. The five-time MVP’s machine is currently in Texas and up for sale at $695,750 (£506,350).
Bugatti Veyron Sang Noir (2010)
Since retiring from the court, the basketball legend has been very discreet with his purchases, but it’s been reported that he owns one of 12 Sang Noirs, or “black bloods”, a particularly exquisite edition of the EB 16.4 Veyron that was inspired by the night and the art deco Type 57S Atlantique and counts Drake among its other high-profile customers. Costing £1.6m, it hits 60mph in 2.6 seconds and can achieve a top speed of 253mph.
23XI Racing Toyota (2021)
Michael Jordan recently announced he’s starting a Nascar Cup team, fielding Bubba Wallace in the No23 Toyota for 2021. Wallace, 27, is one of the most successful African-American drivers in US stock car history and currently its only driver of colour, while Jordan is the first black majority owner of a Nascar team since Hall Of Famer Wendell Scott in the 1970s. “Growing up in North Carolina, my parents would take my brothers, sisters and me to races and I’ve been a Nascar fan my whole life,” MJ said in a statement. “The opportunity to own my own racing team in partnership with my friend, Denny Hamlin, and to have Bubba Wallace driving for us is very exciting for me. Historically, Nascar has struggled with diversity. I see this as a chance to educate a new audience and open more opportunities for black people in racing.”
Ian Poulter has an unbelievable Ferrari collection
