MJ declined $7 million to play golf in Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — While Tiger Woods was lured to play a round of fun golf against then top Filipino player Cassius Casas at Mimosa in Pampanga in 1998, Michael Jordan wasn’t too keen on doing the same as the NBA legend reportedly declined a staggering $7 million just to play golf here some years back.

Jordan, the richest athlete in history, turned his back on the juicy offer.

In a radio interview with WFAN, Jordan’s agent David Falk said his client “turned down a deal to do a one-day golf appearance when he was in Asia a few years ago for a pre-season NBA game with Charlotte (which Jordan owns).”

“And a woman (unidentified) in the Philippines offered me $7 million for one day, wanted him to play in a golf tournament. And he turned it down,” said Falk.

Mondragon International Phls. coughed up a fortune but did attract Woods, then 22 and already a Masters champion. Reports said Woods was paid no less than $700,000 for a round  of golf witnessed by then president Fidel Ramos and a golf clinic for kids. He was in a out of the country in 24 hours.

Falk said Jordan, a high-profile endorser like Woods and other elite athletes, is known for selecting his associations very carefully.

“I brought him a deal three years ago worth $7 million,” said Falk. “All he had to do, other than give his name and likeness, was make one two-hour appearance to announce the deal. And he turned it down.”

Now with a net worth of $2.1 billion, the six-time NBA champion with the Chicago Bulls has revolutionized sponsorship deals with Nike’s Air Jordan range earning him around $200 million-a-year, according to Forbes. His non-Nike earnings also netted him $23 million last year.

He has recently appeared on ESPN’s “The Last Dance “documentary series.

The Philippines has been host to a number of NBA superstars, including LeBron James and Kobe Bryant, while South Korean ace Sung Hyun Park graced an official Ladies Philippine Golf Tournament at The Country Club last year in the same week she claimed the world No. 1 ranking.

Park inked a two-year sponsorship deal with Solaire that fetched a record annual payment as a female Korean golfer. Just recently another Korean, Jin-Young Ko, the current world No. 1, also sealed a two-year sponsorship pact with the country’s leading casino resort hotel.

But Jordan is a different class.

“God bless him. He’s been so successful. It gives him an opportunity to do whatever the hell he wants or not to do things he doesn’t want,” said Falk. “I really admire that. He’s very, very selective in the things he wants to be involved in.”