Michael Jordan once got sued for $16,000,000 by the “next Steven Spielberg”, only to win $50,000 from him

Michael Jordan has been quite successful on the court as a basketball player and has been no less off the court with his partnerships with storied companies like Nike. It is reported that Jordan's net worth is approximately $1.7 billion.

Despite his success career, he has had several ups and downs an athlete and a businessman. Perhaps, the most bizarre moment for Michael Jordan was when he got sued for $16,000,000 after he withdrew from acting in the movie Heaven is a Playground.

Heaven is a Playground was a movie that saw its development begin in the early 1980s. Randall Fried attained the rights to direct the movie in 1986. Fried, at the time, was said to have tremendous potential and was quoted to be the:

"Next Steven Spielberg".

At the time, Michael Jordan was drafted in 1984 and was immensely popular. He was recruited to be the star of the movie. However, due to a lack of funding, the movie's shooting did not end up beginning till 1990.

When the funding was indeed secured and the work was ready to start in 1990, Jordan backed out of the role given he was an international icon by that point. The movie was eventually released in 1991 and did not star Michael Jordan.

Unfortunately, the movie did not perform well at the box office. Fried and the filmmakers reasoned that the failure of the film was caused by Jordan backing out. They believed that the film would've been a success if Jordan would've been the star, let alone all the production delays his backing out caused.

In 1998, the filmmakers sued Jordan for $16 million. They cited Jordan's absence and breach of contract as a reason for the movie's poor box office performance. Furthermore, they reasoned that Jordan led to the demise of Fried's professional career as a director.

Following this, Jordan filed a countersuit against the filmmakers. Ultimately, the jury ruled that Jordan was indeed not liable for the demise of the film or Fried's career and was awarded $50,000. This was one of the strangest and most bizarre wins of Michael Jordan's career.

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Michael Jordan had a cameo in Heaven is a Playground

While Michael Jordan backed out of his role and contract in the movie, he did appear in a cameo. However, this wasn't enough to save the movie at the box office.

The movie was set in New York and showcased the lives of high school basketball players. Jordan's cameo featured him playing pickup basketball with some kids in Brooklyn. He was also shown sharing advice with the kids about the game of basketball and what they can do better.

Jordan's love for the game of basketball cannot be understated. While he had no obligation to appear in the film, he did so as a result of his sheer love for the game and his willingness to influence the next generation of athletes.