With Michael Jordan’s 50th birthday upon us tomorrow, expect to see plenty of tributes to his glory days as a player. But Forbes points out that Jordan is enjoying a whole new kind of glory as a businessman. Thanks largely to his Jordan Brand, a division of Nike, the former Bulls star pulls in $80 million a year and has a net worth of about $650 million, writes Kurt Badenhausen. Jordan owns most of the Charlotte Bobcats—an investment that could send his wealth soaring even higher—along with six restaurants and a car dealership. His Air Jordans still dominate the NBA, with version No. 28 to be unveiled this weekend. His name is golden with a long list of corporate partners. In short, he’s proving to be as much of a wizard off the court as he was on it. “Happy birthday, Michael,” writes Badenhausen. “It’s been a memorable first half-century. Next stop: the Forbes billionaires list.”
