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Young athletes have been known to blow through their first big paycheck. Former NBA star Charles Barkley almost did, too — until Michael Jordan gave him one life-changing financial tip.

In an episode of The Steam Room podcast, Barkley says he and Jordan were about to sign endorsement deals with Nike at roughly the same time. Barkley’s deal was originally for $3 million, but before he signed on the dotted line, Jordan asked him one simple question: “Hey man, why you need all that money?”

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The conversation led Barkley to make a decision that could have cost him millions, but instead made him a fortune. Here’s the game-changing money move that he learned from Jordan, and how you can apply it to your own wealth-building strategy.

Equity over cash

Although $3 million was no small sum, Jordan recognized that with the right strategy, Barkley could turn it into something much bigger. He told Barkley to renegotiate his contract and take only $1 million in cash and the rest in Nike stock options.

After a brief discussion with his team, Barkley took the advice and set himself up for an immense windfall down the road. “I actually made probably 10 times that amount of money and I’m still with Nike to this day,” Barkley proudly proclaimed.

Barkley didn’t mention if he still holds his Nike stake, but the stock is up a jaw-dropping 4,000% since his signature basketball sneaker, the Nike Air Force Max CB, debuted in 1994. His story highlights how gaining equity can be far more lucrative than a quick cash payout, especially when it’s tied to a strong, growing business.

Here’s how you can apply this lesson to your investment strategy.

Read more: Rich, young Americans are ditching the stormy stock market — here are the alternative assets they’re banking on instead

Aiming for long-term growth

Like Jordan and Barkley at the dawn of their respective careers, young investors should be more focused on capital appreciation and growth rather than immediate cash flow.