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Jordan does not see his support for Omega Psi Phi as detracting from his goal to be a role model for youngsters of all races. "I try to be seen as Michael Jordan the person, not as black or white," he says. "I guess I am a pioneer, and at some time I may come up against a racial barrier, but at least I have cleared the way a bit."
Throughout his athletic career, Jordan has rarely failed to overcome obstacles and reach his potential, but there is one major gap in his resume: he has not been part of an NBA championship team. Jordan is painfully aware that the Los Angeles Lakers' Magic Johnson and the Boston Celtics' Larry Bird have eight crowns between them. He has become increasingly outspoken on the Bulls' need to attract a competitive core of players. For the first time in his basketball career, frustration has led him this season to criticize his teammates' play publicly. Ironically, the premium that the Bulls pay for Jordan's services inhibits the club from acquiring other high-quality, and high-priced, talent. Jordan recently signed an eight-year contract with the Bulls worth some $25 million, making him the NBA's fourth highest-paid player.
As impressive as those numbers are, basketball is only the launching pad for Jordan's accelerating financial rocket ship. Thanks largely to his agents at ProServ, a Washington-based sports marketing firm, Jordan will earn an estimated $5 million off the court this year. His list of corporate endorsements keeps growing: Chevrolet, McDonald's, Coca-Cola, Johnson Products (personal-care items produced by one of the largest black-owned businesses in the U.S.), Nike. And last fall Jordan became the first basketball player ever to appear on a box of Wheaties.
David Falk, a senior vice president at ProServ who has orchestrated the marketing of his client's wholesome image, says there was plenty to work with when Jordan signed on in 1984, but "there is also an undefinable quality about him that if I could identify, I would bottle and sell." It would probably be an instant best seller, but don't expect Michael Jordan to give away the secret. What, and let the competition gain an edge?