Pictures: top 10 richest sports stars of all time

Basketball players and golfers dominate Forbes’s list of the world’s top-earning athletes

Michael Jordan is the highest-paid athlete of all time according to a new sports rich list published by Forbes.

Basketball star Jordan is one of the best players in NBA history but off the court he has proved his business credentials with a number of major endorsement deals with companies such as Nike and Gatorade.

Now the owner of the Charlotte Hornets NBA franchise, Jordan is also part of the group approved to buy Major League Baseball’s Miami Marlins, according to a report in the Charlotte Observer published in September.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
See more

Jordan’s career earnings of $1.85billion (£1.37bn) see him top a list that includes golfer Tiger Woods, Formula 1 icon Michael Schumacher, England footballer David Beckham and recently-retired boxer Floyd Mayweather.

According to Forbes, the earnings estimates include the following:

  • Salaries
  • Bonuses
  • Prize money
  • Endorsements
  • Licensing
  • Fees from books, golf course designs and appearances

Estimates cover the time the athlete turned professional through to 1 June 2017. The figures are adjusted for inflation.

Click the gallery above to see the top 10 richest sports stars of all time.

To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us