Michael Jordan rejected offer to play golf in Philippines, says his agent

MANILA, Philippines — While Tiger Woods was lured to play his first international exhibition against then top Filipino player Cassius Casas at Mimosa in Pampanga in 1998, pal Michael Jordan wasn’t too keen on doing the same as the cage legend nixed an offer to play here some years back.

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 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. also coughed up a fortune but did attract then rising star Woods, who turned pro in 1996 and won two PGA Tour events, then racked up four wins the following year, including his first major, the US Masters, before heading to Mimosa, where he also held a clinic among kids.

But 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 $100,000 million,” said Falk. “All he had to do, other than give his name and likeness, was make one two-hour appearances to announce the deal. And he turned it down.”

Now worth $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 of South Korea 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 of different class and breed.

“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.”