Michael Jordan has splashed out on a new private jet, and the maintenance costs are eye-watering.
The 61-year-old former basketball star is widely regarded as the greatest to ever play the sport, and he earned around $90million during his playing days in the NBA. Off the court, partnerships with the likes of Nike and Gatorade earned him an estimated $2.4billion, and business interests, such as the stake in the Charlotte Hornets he sold in 2023, have helped make him one of the world’s richest athletes. Forbes estimate Jordan‘s net worth at $3.2billion.
His private jet reportedly cost $70million, and the custom paint job a reported further $500million.
Jordan chose a silver and black elephant theme to customise his Gulfstream 650ER and added the Jordan logo in white to the tail.
But the costs will keep going up as the maintenance is set at $1,860,909 per year for 200 hours of flying.
That includes items such as fuel ($727,338), crew ($343,964), engine overhaul ($191,670) and insurance ($56,987). Those costs all double to a total of $2,995,763 for 400 hours of flying.
Jordan also owns a Gulfstream 550 private jet, which features an elephant print paint job in white and silver.
He is no stranger to travelling in style, and also likes to charter a super yacht called Joy. The vessel features two jacuzzis, a beach club, gym and basketball court and costs between $650,000 and $780,000 to hire.
The six time NBA champion has multiple business interests across the country so is likely to use the plane for work as well as pleasure.
He retains a minority stake in the Charlotte Hornets, is co-owner of NASCAR team 23XI, has a stake in the betting company DraftKings and is also the owner of several restaurants with locations in Illinois, Connecticut and Washington.
Shaquille O’Neal finally bought his own private jet in 2023. The NBA legend said he would never get one of his own, but changed his mind after renting them for many years. His Bombardier Challenger 650 reportedly cost $27million and features his ‘Dunkman’ logo on the tail.