A delighted Michael Jordan said "it was never about the money" Friday night after a federal jury ordered the owners of the defunct supermarket chain Dominick's to pay him $8.9 million for using his identity without permission in an advertisement. 
 
 Beaming outside the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse moments after the verdict was announced, the basketball legend added that he would give the award to charities in Chicago. "It was all just about protecting my name and my likeness," he said. 
 
 Lawyers for Dominick's owner, Safeway, had argued that it should pay just $126,900 for using Jordan's identity without permission in a 2009 ad for its Rancher's Reserve steaks in a special issue of Sports Illustrated commemorating Jordan's elevation to the Basketball Hall of Fame. 
 
 But after deliberating for more than six hours at the end of a weeklong trial, the jury came up with a number Friday night that was far closer to what Jordan asked for — $10 million. 
 
 Jordan clasped the hand of one of his attorneys, Fred Sperling, as the verdict was announced Friday. 
 
 "It is my name, and I've worked hard for it for 30-something years, and I'm not just going to let someone take it," he said outside the courthouse. 
 
 "It's not the type of court I like to win at," he added, referring to his all-star career with the Chicago Bulls. "But unfortunately we ended up in this court, and I'm very happy with the result." 
 
 The verdict comes at the end of a hard-fought, five-year court battle that provided fresh insights into how Jordan built his name into a marketing juggernaut and saw a judge previously assigned to the case describe Jordan's demands as "greedy." 
 
 How much is Bulls legend Michael Jordan's name worth? A federal jury reached its own conclusion Friday. Aug. 21, 2015. (CBS Chicago) How much is Bulls legend Michael Jordan's name worth? A federal jury reached its own conclusion Friday. Aug. 21, 2015. (CBS Chicago) SEE MORE VIDEOS 
 
 Before the case even went to trial, the court had decided that Dominick's was liable for running the ad without Jordan's permission. That meant jurors only had to decide how much Safeway should pay. 
 
 During closing arguments, Sperling argued that Jordan had earned the right to demand astronomical sums from his sponsors by having the "fiercest work ethic anyone's ever had." 
 
 Sperling gestured to Jordan in the courtroom and said that Chicagoans "got to watch him soar like nobody else ever has." 
 
 "Companies want to associate themselves with that, and they want to do that because of who he is, a man of unquestioned integrity," he added, telling jurors that the $100 million Jordan made in endorsements last year was more than he made from playing basketball "in the entirety of his career." 
 
 "That doesn't just happen by accident," Sperling said. "It happens by implementing a carefully planned marketing strategy." 
 
 The case turned on the two sides' competing versions of how to calculate the fair market value of the ad. Jordan testified that he signs only long-term deals expected to be worth $10 million and that he would "never" have agreed to the Dominick's ad, which compared him to a piece of meat and came with a $2-off coupon for steaks. 
 
 An expert hired by Dominick's had calculated that a "hypothetical deal" between the two sides could have been concluded for $126,900. 
 
 Lawyers for Safeway left the courthouse without comment. 
 
 But Jordan — ever the consummate pitchman — didn't miss the opportunity to plug one of his businesses. Asked whether he'd ever eaten a Rancher's Reserve steak, he smiled and said, "No, I got a Michael Jordan Steakhouse over here!" 
 
 kjanssen@tribpub.com 
 
 Twitter @kimjnews 

 CHICAGO (AP) — Jurors at a civil trial focused on the market value of Michael Jordan's identity have handed him a major win, ordering a grocery-store chain to pay him $8.9 million for invoking his name in a steak ad without his permission. 
 
 Michael Jordan smiles at reporters after a jury ordered a defunct grocery store chain to pay him $8.9 million for using his name without permission. Friday, Aug. 21, 2015, in Chicago. Jurors had to calculate... (Associated Press) 
 
 The amount was close to the $10 million his attorneys said the one-time use of his name was worth and Jordan hugged his lawyers after the decision was read Friday night in a federal court in Chicago, where Jordan won six NBA titles with the Bulls. 
 
 "I'm so used to playing on a different court," a visibly delighted Jordan told reporters outside the courthouse. "This shows I will protect my name to the fullest. ... It's my name and I worked hard for it ... and I'm not just going to let someone take it." 
 
 Jordan added that the case "was never about money" and that he'll give the damages award to charities in Chicago. 
 
 Stepping back into the courthouse, two jurors asked him for a photograph and he obliged by throwing his arms around them and smiling for a cellphone camera. 
 
 A judge ruled before trial that the now-defunct Dominick's Finer Foods, which was owned by Safeway, was liable. So the sole unresolved issue was damages for the unauthorized ad in a 2009 Sports Illustrated. It congratulated Jordan on his Hall of Fame induction and included a $2-off coupon above a photo of a sizzling steak. Jurors deliberated for six hours before returning with the $8.9 million figure, at one point sending a note to the judge that said, "We need a calculator." 
 
 Jordan's fame loomed over the case, with one would-be jurors struck from the jury pool after describing Jordan as his idol. During closings Friday, Jordan attorney Frederick Sperling appealed to city pride in trying to persuade jurors to side with Jordan. 
 
 "He gave us six championships," he told jurors, Jordan sitting nearby. 
 
 Steven Mandell, the Dominick's attorney, told jurors he was also proud of Jordan's accomplishments in sports. But he said Jordan's attorneys overvalued their client's name, saying jurors should award Jordan no more than $126,900. 
 
 Evidence presented during trial provided a peek at Jordan's extraordinary wealth, including the $480 million he made from Nike alone between 2000 to 2012. 
 
 Among the witnesses was Estee Portnoy, a marketing executive hired by Jordan, who said she was shocked when she saw the Dominick's ad, which included the text, "Michael Jordan ... You are a cut above." 
 
 Asked after the jury's decision whether he ever tried one of the steaks Dominick's advertised, Jordan laughed and noted his own namesake steakhouse was a few blocks away. 
 
 "You can go get a steak over there," he said. 
 
 ___ 
 
 Follow Michael Tarm on Twitter at http://twitter.com/mtarm 

 Darren Rovell discusses the legal case surrounding Michael Jordan and the now-defunct, Chicago-based supermarket chain Dominick's, which must pay Jordan $8.9 million for using his name to promote a product in an ad without his permission. (2:55) 
 
 The owner of a supermarket chain must pay Michael Jordan $8.9 million for using his name and promoting a product in an ad without his permission. 
 
 A jury deliberated for six hours before handing down the verdict Friday night in federal court in Chicago, where Jordan won six NBA titles with the Bulls. 
 
 Lawyers for Safeway, owner of now-defunct Chicago-based chain Dominick's, said Jordan should be paid $126,900 for the use of his name in a 2009 ad Dominick's placed in a commemorative issue Sports Illustrated published for Jordan's induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. But Jordan's lawyers and Jordan himself testified that his endorsement history suggests he would not have taken that deal. 
 
 Jordan's legal representatives brought in sports economist Andrew Zimbalist, who testified that Jordan's fair market value for the ad was $10 million. 
 
 "I'm pleased with today's verdict," Jordan said in a statement. "No one -- whether or not they're a public figure -- should have to worry about their identity being used without their permission. The case was not about the money as I plan to donate the proceeds to charity. It was about honesty and integrity. I hope this case sends a clear message, both here in the United States and around the world, that I will continue to be vigilant about protecting my name and identity. I also hope the size of the monetary reward will deter others from using someone else's identity and believe they will only pay a small penalty." 
 
 Michael Jordan was pleased with the jury's verdict, saying, "I also hope the size of the monetary reward will deter others from using someone else's identity." AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast 
 
 In calculating the amount owed to Jordan, jurors sent a note to the judge, saying: "We need a calculator." 
 
 During the trial, Jordan's legal team disclosed for the first time some of his endorsement income, including $480 million that was paid to him by Nike from 2000 to 2012. Jordan also revealed he turned down an $80 million offer to endorse headphones. 
 
 While Jordan was fighting to uphold the value of his name, Safeway was in a tougher position. The company bought Dominick's in 1998 for $1.2 billion but closed all stores by the end of 2013. The Jordan lawsuit was the bitter end of a huge money-losing venture. 
 
 In addition, the ad itself was of little benefit to the company. Since the ad was in a commemorative Sports Illustrated issue, those who bought the magazine were hesitant to tear out the ad. Only two people were found to have redeemed the $2 steak coupon. 
 
 Jordan hugged his lawyers after the decision was read. 
 
 "I'm so used to playing on a different court," a visibly delighted Jordan told reporters outside the courthouse. 
 
 Stepping back into the courthouse, two jurors asked him for a photograph, and he obliged by throwing his arms around them and smiling for a cellphone camera. 
 
 Jordan's fame loomed over the case, with one would-be juror struck from the pool during jury selection after describing Jordan as his idol. During closings earlier Friday, Jordan attorney Frederick Sperling appealed to city pride in trying to persuade jurors to side with Jordan. 
 
 "He gave us six championships," he told jurors, Jordan sitting nearby. 
 
 Three weeks ago, Jordan lost a legal battle to stop a company in China called Qiaodan Sports, even though the name means "Jordan," it has a similar silhouette to the Jumpman logo and it uses the number 23. 
 
 Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
– It's a safe bet that a supermarket chain's steak promotion has now become the most costly $2 coupon in advertising history. A Chicago jury yesterday ordered Dominick's to pay Michael Jordan $8.9 million because it used his name on its ad without permission, reports ESPN. Dominick's is now defunct, and parent Safeway will foot the bill. The 2009 ad appeared in Sports Illustrated and congratulated Jordan on his induction into the NBA Hall of Fame. Just below that message was a coupon good for 2 bucks off a Dominick's steak. "It is my name, and I've worked hard for it for 30-something years, and I'm not just going to let someone take it," a happy-looking Jordan said outside the courthouse, reports the Chicago Tribune. He said it was about principle more than the money, which he pledged to donate to Chicago charities. Ever the businessman, he also made a point to plug his own steakhouse. Dominick's probably never had a chance: Two jurors were seen happily posing with their hometown idol for photos after the verdict, notes AP.