Sonny Vaccaro Net Worth: How Rich is Sports Executive Actually?

Sonny Vaccaro is an American businessman and retired sports marketing executive. He is best recognized for his tenure with Nike, Inc. Vaccaro also served for Adidas and Reebok. As of 2023, Sonny Vaccaro net worth is estimated to be around $5 million.

Who is Sonny Vaccaro?

Sonny Vaccaro is a businessman from Pennsylvania. He is known for his time with Nike, Adidas, and Reebok. Vaccaro is the founder of the ABCD Camp which ran for over two decades from 1984 to 2007. The camp featured future basketball stars, Dwight Howard, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James.

Vaccaro was born on September 23, 1939, in Trafford, Pennsylvania. He was born to parents, Natale and Margaret Vaccaro. Vaccaro grew up with his brother, Jimmy Vaccaro who is a sports-betting hall of Famer. Regarding his education, he is a graduate of Youngstown State University.

Sonny Vaccaro Net Worth & Career

Sonny Vaccaro served as a sports marketing executive at a footwear manufacturing company, Nike. In his first sneaker deal, he signed basketball star, Michael Jordan in 1984. Jordan reportedly signed a 5-year deal worth around $2.5 million plus royalties.

Nike eventually gave Jordan his own sneaker line in 1985, and that’s when the Air Jordan was born. The original price of Air Jordan I sneakers was around $654 and the shoes indeed made a huge impact in the market. The footwear brand is still making the shoe even though Jordan has not been active since the 2002-03 season.

After leaving Nike, he joined Adidas and then worked for Reebok. In 1984, he founded an elite showcase of high school basketball standouts, the ABCD Camp. He ran the high school for more than two decades in 2007. Sonny’s elite school has featured famous basketball stars, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Dwight Howard.

Vaccaro is also the co-founder of The Dapper Dan Roundball Classic, the first national high school All-Star game. He founded the high school with his boyhood friend, Pat DiCesare in 1965. The All-Star game endured for nearly 43 years.

Similarly, the high school All-Star game’s alumni include great basketball stars such as Calvin Murphy, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, Chris Webber, Vince Carter, Patrick Ewing, Stephon Marbury, and Rasheed Wallace. In April 2015, a documentary titled “Sole Man” was aired on ESPN.

Vaccaro’s story has recently been featured in the movie called Air, which is produced by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. The film is about the signing of a former basketball player, Michael Jordan for Nike and how the Air Jordan brand formed. The trailer of the movie was released on Thursday, February 9.

The Air Jordan brand was created for Hall of Fame basketball legend Michael Jordan during his time with the Chicago Bulls in 1984. The brand was initially released to the public on April 1, 1985. The movie’s trailer started with Damon who appeared as Sonny Vaccaro as he hears about how sales and growth in Nike’s basketball division are trending downward. The movie will hit theatres on April 5, 2023.

Sonny Vaccaro’s Wife & Personal Life

Sonny Vaccaro is married to his wife, Pam Monakee. Not much detail is revealed about his marriage life. In November 2020, while talking with reporters in a zoom call, Sonny said that he originally wanted his grandchildren to inherit the shoes after he died.

Vaccaro sold a one-of-a-kind piece of Jordan’s black Air Jordan VIs in November 2020. He reportedly received the Air Jordan shoes as a gift from the Chicago Bulls legend after he wore them to start Game 4 of the 1991 NBA Finals.

Sonny Vaccaro Net Worth

Sonny Vaccaro has earned an estimated net worth of $5 million as of 2023. He was referred to as just a salesman by the basketball traditionalists. Vaccaro was also blamed for only glamorizing the game and making money for the company he worked for. Vaccaro reportedly tied with the shoe companies about eight years ago.