&gt; <i>His lifetime deal with Nike could eventually become something similar to Michael Jordan’s. Jordan, 52, is officially the chief executive officer of the Jordan Brand, which continues to release new shoes. Sales of Air Jordan brand shoes topped $2.6 billion last year, according to Forbes.</i><p>I had to read that last figure twice...the first time, I thought it meant <i>$2.6 billion total</i>, which seems like a reasonable amount of revenue for one line of shoes...but _per year_? Named for an athlete who has long been retired? Half a billion for the next great player (though of course some don&#x27;t think LeBron will necessarily surpass Jordan&#x27;s legend) seems like a bargain for Nike.