Michael Jordan has made $1.3 billion from his 36-year partnership with Nike. He originally wanted to sign with Adidas before his parents made him listen to Nike's offer.

• Michael Jordan was close to signing with Adidas in 1984, however his mother made him listen to Nike's offer before putting pen to paper.
• "My mother said, 'You're gonna go listen. You may not like it, but you're gonna go listen,'" said Jordan during episode five of "The Last Dance. "She made me get on that plane and go listen."
• Nike offered Jordan a $500,000-per-year deal for five years, as well as his own shoe, the Air Jordan, something which Adidas was not prepared to do.
• Nike sold $126 million worth of Air Jordan's in year one of the deal, according to TMZ, and Jordan has to date made roughly $1.3 billion from the partnership, says Forbes.
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Michael Jordan has made roughly $1.3 billion from his deal with Nike since signing with the brand in 1984, according to Forbes.

"It is the richest athlete endorsement deal ever but also arguably the biggest bargain given that Jordan helped transform Nike from a scrappy underdog into one of the largest, most valuable consumer brands in the world," Forbes wrote in a story Sunday.

However the deal might not have happened at all had it not been for the NBA icon's parents.

During episode five of ESPN's "The Last Dance" which aired on Sunday night, Jordan explained how he almost signed with Adidas before his mother forced him to listen to Nike's offer.

"My mother said, 'You're gonna go listen. You may not like it, but you're gonna go listen,'" said Jordan. "She made me get on that plane and go listen."

Nike offered Jordan a $500,000-per-year deal for five years, as well as his own shoe, the Air Jordan, something which Adidas was not prepared to do.

"Nike made this big pitch," Jordan said, adding that his father told him: "You'd have to be a fool not taking this deal. This is the best deal."

According to TMZ, Nike projected $3 million in sales of the Air Jordan in the first four years of the deal, however ended up selling $126 million worth in year one alone.

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