Michael Jordan Testifies in His Courtroom Beef with Grocery Chain

Dominick’s, a now-shuttered grocery chain in the Chicago area, in 2009 used Jordan’s name in a commemorative ad in Sports Illustrated when the former Chicago Bulls great was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Now all that’s left is for a jury to determine the fair-market value for a one-time use of Jordan’s identity, which Dominick’s will have to pay as a penalty.

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.

Jordan said – under oath – the store never asked him for permission to use his image, and if it had… he would have rejected the deal since it was his version of small potatoes. When his attorney asked him why he brought the case, Jordan said it was “to protect my likeness, my image… something I value very preciously”.

The full-page ad used Jordan’s name and famous No. 23 Chicago Bulls jersey number and called him “a cut above”.

“I have the final say-so on everything that involves my likeness and my name”, Jordan told jurors in Chicago.

Closing arguments are expected to begin around 9 this morning at the Dirksen Federal Building in Chicago.

According to CBS Sports.com, Estee Portnoy testified Friday (Aug. 14) that unless you got a deal that’s ultimately worth at least $10 million, Jordan won’t do business with you.

He added that he will continue to fight for the name he worked hard for.

However, defense attorneys said there’s a difference between big endorsement contracts and licensing agreements, reported ABC’s Chicago affiliate WLS.

Michael Jordan claims to be the $10 million man.

The Richest listed Jordan as one of the richest basketball players with a net worth of $1 billion. He’s believed to make $US100 million per year in royalties from his brand, and made another $US72 million in salary and endorsements in 2014.