Jordan Signs 8-Year Contract With Bulls

Michael Jordan, who pumped up pro basketball in Chicago, signed a new contract Tuesday with the Bulls, who will pay him an estimated $25 million over the next 8 years, according to the Chicago Sun-Times, and he didn’t even need to ask. Jordan, about to enter his fifth pro season, said: “I think it makes me work harder and earn what I’m getting paid--not that I wasn’t earning it already.”

Last season, Jordan was voted the National Basketball Assn.’s most valuable player, defensive player of the year and MVP of the All-Star game, while leading the league in scoring with a 35-point average.

The Bulls said that Jordan has never demanded to have his contract renegotiated.

Owner Jerry Reinsdorf, asked when he thought Jordan deserved a raise, said: “First time I saw him play.”