Forbes top 10 richest sports stars of all time
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Tiger Woods - $1.7bn (£126.3bn): the 14-time major winner has recently returned to competitive golf. He maintains partnerships with a number of brands including TaylorMade, Bridgestone and Monster Energy.
Arnold Palmer - $1.4bn (£1.04bn): the golfing legend passed away in September 2016, but he left behind an estate that made $40m (£29.7m) in the last year when the Forbes list was collated.
Jack Nicklaus - $1.2bn - (£892.3m): after a golfing career that saw him win 18 major titles, Nicklaus moved into the golf course design business and now has 410 courses in 41 countries.
Michael Schumacher - $1bn (£743.6m): German driver who won seven Formula 1 world championships. In 2013 he suffered major head injuries after a skiing accident.
Phil Mickelson - $815m (£606m): the lefty golfer has earnt $84m (£62.4m) in prize money during his career. His bank balance has been topped up with partnerships with companies such as Amgen, ExxonMobil, KPMG, Rolex, Grayhawk and the Greenbrier.
Kobe Bryant - $800m (£595m, tied 7th): the basketball star had a 20-year career in the NBA with one team - the Los Angeles Lakers. Forbes reports that since retiring in 2016 he has launched Kobe Inc. and a venture capital firm, Bryant Stibel.
David Beckham - $800m (£595m, tied 7th): the England football star played for clubs such as Manchester United, Real Madrid, AC Milan, PSG and LA Galaxy. In retirement Brand Beckham has forged a number of major partnership deals and his next move is to head up a new Miami-based team in Major League Soccer.
Floyd Mayweather - $785m (£583.9m): Forbes says that Money Mayweather’s £583.9m career earnings does not even include his mega-payday for the fight against Conor McGregor in August (Forbes’ scoring period ended 1 June). He has since retired from boxing with a 50-0 record - but could we see Pretty Boy Floyd return to the ring or even the UFC octagon?
Shaquille O’Neal - $735m (£546.8m): ‘Shaq’ played in the NBA for teams such as the Orlando Magic, LA Lakers and Miami Heat. His post-basketball career includes the launch of a low-cost trainer line which according to Forbes has sold 120 million pairs worldwide.
