But he said jurors should award him no more than $126,000.
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Michael Jordan is back on the witness stand in his lawsuit against the former grocery store accused of using his name without permission.
That’s a bit shy of the $10 million that Andrew Zimbalistan, the Smith College professor Jordan hired as his own expert, previously testified is Jordan’s fair-market value.
An expert in sports economics says Michael Jordan’s endorsement income has grown and still eclipses that of current National Basketball Association players, including LeBron James. A judge already found the now-defunct Dominick’s Finer Foods liable.
“I felt like it was a misuse of my likeness, my name”, Jordan said of the grocery ad. “It didn’t fit the strategy we operated on”.
Jordan stood with his hands behind his back and smiled at the jury when they left the courtroom. Closing arguments in the trial are expected Thursday. A grin spread across his face when a Dominick’s attorney handed him a legal document to read during cross-examination.
“I forgot them today, I’m sorry”, Jordan said as he chuckled along.
SiriusXM Radio paid Jordan $500,000 for the use of his image in a commercial campaign that also included Elvis Presley and comedian Richard Pryor. He told jurors his image was something he values, in his words, “very preciously”. In response to Fort’s figure, Jordan said under no circumstances would he have appeared in the ad for that amount-or any amount, for that matter. In classic Jordan form, he said all his media deals must be worth at least $10 mil.
When Michael Jordan entered the Basketball Hall of Fame, one company took the chance to congratulate him – and sell some steaks.
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Jordan adviser Estee Portnoy has said Mattel was not allowed to use Jordan’s name or image to promote the game. Jordan testified that it is customary in Japan to pay even though it wasn’t legally necessary. She told jurors she was simply “doing my job”.
