Michael Jordan awarded $8.9M for store's use of his name

Published Aug. 21, 2015 8:27 p.m. ET

foxsports

CHICAGO (AP) A jury has ordered a defunct grocery store chain to pay Michael Jordan $8.9 million for using his name.

Jurors returned the verdict Friday night.

They had to calculate how much the now-defunct grocery chain Dominick's should pay the former Chicago Bulls basketball player for invoking his name in an ad without permission. They sent one note to the judge, saying: ''We need a calculator.''

In his closing argument, Jordan attorney Frederick Sperling appealed to city pride, saying about Jordan as he sat nearby: ''He gave us six (NBA) championships.''

Jordan's lawyer suggested the ad was worth $10 million.

Dominick's attorney Steven Mandell said he's as proud as anyone about the championships Jordan brought to Chicago. But he said jurors should award him no more than $126,000.