When Michael Jordan collected $8.9 Million from a grocery store: "I'm so used to playing on a different court"
Michael Jordan has done some petty things in his career, but one thing stands out above the rest. That being when he took a grocery store to court.
Back in 2009, Michael Jordan was among those to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. Other inductees included David Robinson, John Stockton and the famous head coach Jerry Sloan.
With Jordan being most known for his time with the Chicago Bulls, it was a big moment for the city. One business tried to do something nice for the six-time champion, but it ended up backfiring on them in a big way.
Dominick's Finer Foods grocery store put an advertisement in Sports Illustrated to congratulate Jordan, but attached a small coupon for their store at the bottom. Upon seeing this, the NBA icon sued the company for ten million dollars for using his name in a promotion without his permission.
Jordan did not go after Dominick's for the money, but to protect the name that he worked so hard to build.
"I'm so used to playing on a different court"
"This shows I will protect my name to the fullest ... It’s my name and I worked hard for it ... and I’m not just going to let someone take it."
How much money did Michael Jordan get in the lawsuit?
It took over five years for this case to be closed, but Michael Jordan was eventually awarded money for his name being used without permission. In 2015, a jury in a civil trial came to the decision that the NBA star should be awarded $8.9 million.
The basis of the trial was fully centered how much compensation the Chicago Bulls icon was going to receive. Prior to going in front of jury, the courts had come to the conclusion that Dominick's was in the wrong for not asking Jordan's permission in their ad.
While Jordan might have been awarded a large sum, it is unknown if he ever received all of the money. By the time a final verdict was made, the grocery store chain had closed all of its stores.
As Jordan said, he did not need the money. Between his endorsements and assets, he has a net worth of two billion dollars. He sued the company to make sure that no business in the future tried to capitalize off his name without giving him a cut.