Who are the richest athletes in the world? Which athletes are billionaires? Tiger Woods, Floyd Mayweather, Michael Jordan... I'm sure you can guess some of the best names, but who has the highest net worth in April 2020?
Here's a quick spoiler/surprise: the person who has always been the richest athlete in the world is a retired Romanian tennis player you have never heard of and would not recognize if you met him in the street. This Romanian tennis player, Ion Tiriac, was the first billionaire athlete in history. He is still a billionaire but is no longer rich enough to be number 1 on this list.
So who caught the top slot? Let's take a look at the 25 richest athletes on the planet:
# 25: Grant Hill net worth: $ 250 million
Hill started his NBA career in 1994 with the Detroit Pistons. He then played for teams such as the Orlando Magic, the Phoenix Suns and the Los Angeles Clippers, retiring after the 2013 season. During his long NBA career, Grant earned $ 140 million in salary alone and about $ 120 million more through endorsements. This includes an $ 80 million, seven-year contract with Fila, which was the largest shoe contract in history until that time. He continued his partnership with Fila with a lifetime contract in 2018 which will bring him more than 10 million dollars per year.
# 24: Gary Player's net worth: $ 250 million
One of the most respected PGA golfers, Player is the third most successful golfer in PGA history. His net worth is largely linked to his business interests, which are exclusively represented by Black Knight International. His business activities include his work as a golf course architect, as well as licensing, events, publishing, wine, clothing and souvenirs. Black Knight International also manages all of its sponsorship and merchandising activities. In addition, during his career, he promised $ 100 million to the disadvantaged in his home country, South Africa.
# 23: Lewis Hamilton's Fortune: $ 285 Million
Between June 2016 and June 2017, Hamilton won approximately $ 50 million in endorsements and prizes. Between June 2017 and June 2018, he earned $ 51 million. In 2018, he signed a two-year contract extension to continue driving for Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport, with an expected annual base salary of more than $ 30 million. He has personal sponsorship agreements with brands such as Mercedes-Benz, Monster Energy, Puma, IWC, Sony, Bombardier, Bell Helmets and MV Agusta Motorcycles. It also has an ongoing partnership with the fashion brand Tommy Hilfiger, releasing several capsule collections with the brand.
# 22: George Foreman's fortune: $ 300 million
Very little of Foreman's net worth comes from boxing. After becoming a professional in 1969 and winning 76 of 81 fights in the 1980s, his net worth was still relatively low at $ 5 million. The majority of his net worth comes from his various business ventures, including the grill that bears his name. Other products he has promoted include Meineke mufflers and the George Foreman Lean Fat Reducing Grill machine, and he is also a partner of the Panther Racing Indy Car team.
# 21: Dale Earnhardt Jr .: Fortune $ 300 Million
At the peak of his career, Dale made $ 25-30 million a year. About $ 22 million of this amount was earned through endorsements. His main sponsor throughout his career was Bud Light. He also had deals with Kraft, Drakkar, Chevy, Gillette, EA Sports, Pennzoil and Wrangler. By the time Dale retired in 2017, he had earned $ 410 million during his career from endorsements and winnings. He also owns several businesses outside of the race, including media production company Hammerhead Entertainment, and he is a partial owner of Paducah International Raceway.
# 20: Rock Dwayne Johnson's Worth: $ 320 Million
Johnson made his WWF debut in 1996 as a heroic character, Rocky Maivia, before becoming the villain The Rock in 1997. He began his acting career in 2001, and began to focus on him at full time in 2004. Most of his net worth comes from his acting activities, between June 2017 and June 2018, he earned $ 125 million, which makes him by far the highest paid actor on the planet. Thanks to its huge audience on social networks, The Rock also contractually requires up to $ 4 million to promote its own films, in addition to salary and support points. It has approvals with brands such as Apple, Ford and Under Armor.
# 19: Jack Nicklaus' fortune: $ 320 million
Considered one of the greatest golfers of all, Nicklaus has won the PGA tour 73 times, the Champions tour 10 times, and the Masters tournament six times in his 25-year career. Nicklaus remained a driving force behind the course. He was mainly involved in golf course design, charity work and book writing. Jack Nicklaus is the founder and host of "The Memorial Tournament", as well as one of the world leaders in golf course design.
# 18: Alex Rodriguez's fortune: $ 350 million
During his baseball career, Rodriguez played for the Seattle Mariners and the Texas Rangers, but is best known for his time with the New York Yankees, where he played from 2004 until his retirement in 2017 During his career, he earned $ 441 million in baseball salary alone and signed several contracts that were the largest in the history of the sport at the time. At its peak, he earned $ 33 million a year in wages. Outside of sport, Rodriguez is a real estate investor through his A-Rod Corp.
# 17: Vinnie Johnson's fortune: $ 400 million
Johnson, a retired professional basketball player, spent his career playing for the Seattle SuperSonics, Detroit Pistons and San Antonio Spurs, before retiring in 1992. During his career, he spent more than a decade playing with the Pistons, winning two championships with their. After his retirement from the NBA, he founded Piston Automotive, which is now one of the largest suppliers of auto parts in America. The company employs over 200 people and generates more than $ 2 billion in revenue annually.
# 16: Shaquille O'Neal's Fortune: $ 400 Million
During his professional basketball career, O'Neal played with the Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics. His notable contracts include a $ 121 million, seven-year contract with the Lakers and his $ 100 million, five-year contract with the Miami Heat. In 2019, he joined the board of directors of the Papa Johns pizzeria, which would bring him $ 8.25 million in salary and shares over three years. He also invested $ 840,000 by buying 30% of a franchise of 9 units from Papa Johns in Atlanta.
From 2020, Shaq net worth is $ 400 million.
# 15: Phil Mickelson's fortune: $ 400 million
During his professional golf career, Mickelson has won four major championships, earning more than $ 87 million in tournament prizes. In a given year, he earned about $ 60 million, including $ 10 million in salary and tournament earnings and an additional $ 50 million in endorsements. His biggest mentions are with KPMG, ExxonMobil, Titleist, Ford, Enbrel, Callaway, Amgen, Grayhawk, Rolex and Intrepid Financial Partners. He earned more than $ 700 million on the golf course through endorsements during his career, which means that he earned approximately $ 900 million in total during his career in 2020.
# 14: Lionel Messi's fortune: $ 400 million
The Argentinian professional footballer earned his fortune as a striker and winger for FC Barcelona and the Argentine national team. He is one of the highest paid football players in the world. Under his previous contract, his annual base salary was $ 44.68 million. In 2017, he signed a new contract with Barcelona that pays a base salary of $ 80 million. In addition, he earns $ 40 million each year from endorsements. He has a lifetime deal with Adidas and has also advertised for brands like Herbalife.
# 13: Greg Norman's fortune: $ 400 million
Australian golfer Norman was the first golfer to spend $ 10 million in career earnings. He was the tour leader in 1986, 1990 and 1995. Besides golf, he has many business interests. He founded Greg Norman Gold Course Design in 1987 and started investing in the wine industry by launching Greg Norman Estates in 1996. All of his business interests are managed by Great White Shark Enterprises. In addition, he founded the Greg Norman Company in 1993 and sold it for profit of $ 40 million five years later.
# 12: Roger Federer's net worth: $ 450 million
Federer is a world renowned tennis player, having won Wimbledon 8 times, the Australian Open 6 times, the French Open once and the US Open 5 times. Federer's total career earnings in ATP were $ 124 million in July 2019. He is one of the highest paid athletes in the world on and off the field. Between June 2017 and June 2018, Federer earned $ 77.2 million. Between June 2018 and June 2019, he earned $ 94 million. Of this amount, approximately $ 86 million came from support for companies like Credit Suisse, Rolex and Mercedes Benz.
# 11: David Beckham's net worth: $ 450 million
Beckham's net worth is a net worth combined with his wife, singer / songwriter Victoria Beckham. During his professional football career, he played for Manchester United, Real Madrid, the Los Angeles Galaxy and Paris Saint-Germain. In his last six seasons in MLS with the Los Angeles Galaxy, David Beckham has earned approximately $ 255 million, including salary, income sharing, endorsements, appearances and licenses. He has represented brands such as Pepsi, Calvin Klein, Adidas, Vodafone and Gillette. In addition, with his wife, he has an extensive real estate portfolio with properties around the world.
# 10: Cristiano Ronaldo's fortune: $ 460 million
Born in Portugal, Ronaldo is one of the highest paid footballers in the world. After spending 9 years with Real Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo signed a four-year agreement with Juventus in 2018 that pays a base salary of $ 64 million. Off the field, he earns an additional $ 40 million thanks to endorsements. Between June 2017 and June 2018, Cristiano earned $ 108 million, $ 61 million in salary and $ 47 million in endorsements. In addition, in November 2016, he signed a billion dollar "lifetime" agreement with Nike, with a signing bonus of $ 100 million.
# 9: Eddie Jordan's fortune: $ 475 million
A former professional racing driver, the majority of Jordan's net worth comes from his position as founder and owner of the Jordan Grand Prix racing team, which competed from 1991 to 2005. He also founded the Eddie Jordan Racing team , which he sold to Midland Group. in 2005 for between 40 and 75 million euros. Other commercial interests include investments in the Vodka V10 vodka brand, the EJ-10 energy drink brand, and the Bulgarian real estate company Madara Capital. He joined the program "Top Gear" as a presenter in 2016, and is also an analyst for the program "C4F1" on Channel 4.
In his first 10 seasons in the NBA, LeBron James earned just over $ 126 million in salary alone. During this same period, he earned approximately $ 326 million from endorsements. Each year, James earns about $ 40 million in NBA wages and about $ 55 million in benefits. This brings his total annual income to around $ 100 million. He has signed deals with big companies like McDonalds, Microsoft, State Farm, Beats by Dre and Samsung. In addition, he signed the first lifetime support agreement Nike has ever offered in December 2015, valued at more than $ 1 billion.
# 7: Floyd Mayweather's Fortune: $ 505 Million
In 2020, Mayweather's total career earnings exceeded $ 1.1 billion. This achievement is particularly notable as he managed to exceed $ 1 billion in revenues with relatively few support contracts, drawing most of his money from just two fights. He won $ 250 million from his 2015 fight against Manny Pacquiao, and $ 300 million from his 2017 fight against Conor McGregor. Outside the ring, he generally earns a relatively small sum of money thanks to endorsements, compared to his typical income of 150 to 300 million dollars per year when he fights. Floyd is the 5th highest paid athlete of all time and one of six athletes whose career earnings have exceeded $ 1 billion.
From 2020, Floyd Mayweather's net worth is $ 505 million.
# 6: Roger Staubach's net worth: $ 600 million
A retired American football quarterback, Staubach has spent his entire ten-year professional career in the NFL playing for the Dallas Cowboys. He led the team to victories in Super Bowl VI and Super Bowl XII. After retiring from the game, he worked as a sports commentator and founded a commercial real estate company, the Staubach Company, which has worked with large companies such as AT&T, McDonalds and K-Mart Corporation. He is now executive chairman of Jones Lang LaSalle, a professional services and investment management firm, which purchased Staubach in 2008.
# 5: Michael Schumacher's net worth: $ 600 million
Former Schumacher driver's career spanned from 1991 to 2006. He has won the Formula 1 world championship seven times and is widely regarded as one of the most successful Formula 1 drivers of all time . He is also one of the highest paid athletes of all time. At the height of his career, Shell was paid $ 10 million a year to wear a hat with the company logo at almost all public appearances. At its peak, it earned $ 80 million to $ 100 million a year. Even during the years he didn't run, he made $ 50 million just from endorsements. He is one of six athletes in history to have won more than a billion dollars just for their sport (essentially without outside investment like participation in NBA teams). Michael earned $ 1 billion in wages and endorsements during his illustrious career.
# 4: Magic Johnson's net worth: $ 600 million
Former professional basketball player Johnson has played for the Los Angeles Lakers for 13 seasons. During his playing career, Magic earned just over $ 18 million in salary and several million more in endorsements. Today, he oversees a business empire under Magic Johnson Enterprises which is valued at well over a billion dollars. Most of his fortune comes from his business ventures, which include a movie studio, a chain of cinemas, and a promotional marketing business. He also invested in sports teams, buying the Los Angeles Dodgers with a group of partners in 2012 for $ 2 billion.
# 3: Tiger Woods' net worth: $ 800 million
Woods is the highest paid golfer of all time, with career earnings in excess of $ 1.65 billion since becoming professional in 1996. His main sources of income are tournament earnings and product recommendations. His $ 118 million golf course gain made up 7.6% of his total career earnings, but his advances made up 92.4% of his earnings. It has approved brands such as Nike, Gatorade, American Express, Rolex, Gillette, Tag Heuer and Buick. His contract with Gatorade alone was worth $ 100 million over 5 years, and between 1997 and 2005 he made $ 140 million thanks to recommendations from Nike.
At the time of writing this article Tiger Woods Equity is $ 800 million. And it was AFTER he paid his ex-wife Elin a $ 100 million divorce settlement.
# 2: Ion Tiriac's net worth: $ 1.2 billion
Former Romanian professional tennis player Ion Tiriac had a very respectable career in the late 1970s and early 1980s. After winning 22 career titles as a doubles player and being ranked No. 19 in tennis double, he retired and became coach of players like Ilie Năstase and, above all, Boris Becker. Ion orchestrated Boris Becker's rise to become the number one player in the world. By working with Boris in the early 1990s, Germany exposed Ion to Western business practices that would soon wipe out the former USSR.
In 1990, Ion founded Banca Tiriac. It was the first private bank in Romania. He then launched retail businesses, car dealerships, an airline and an insurance company. It also has a large residential and commercial real estate portfolio. Today, his empire includes Tiriac Holdings, TiriacAIR, HVB Tiriac Bank, Allianz-Tiriac Asigurari Romania, TiriacAuto, Tiriac Leasing and Tir Travel.
He officially became a billionaire for the first time in 2007. Ion Tiriac's personal fortune ultimately peaked at more than $ 2 billion. It was more than enough to make him the richest athlete in the world over the past decade. Unfortunately, in recent years, and in recent months in particular, Ion's fortune has been hit by a number of headwinds, reducing his net worth to $ 1.2 billion as of this writing. At the same time, Michael Jordan's fortune has soared...
# 1: Michael Jordan's net worth: $ 2.2 billion
Michael Jordan was the first athlete to earn more than $ 30 million a year in salary. When he won $ 33.14 million from the Chicago Bulls for the 1997-1998 season, it was the same as winning $ 53.4 million in today's dollars. He "never" earned a total of $ 93 million in NBA wages. As you know, he has also made a huge amount of money through support agreements with companies like Hanes, Gatorade, McDonald's, Upper Deck, MCI and many others. But it was his partnership with Nike Air Jordan that earned Michael an incredible amount of money, even almost two decades after his retirement from the sport. Each year to date, he earns between 80 and 100 million dollars in royalties on Nike shoes. In total, Michael has earned at least $ 1.4 billion in endorsements before tax to date.
But even after earning $ 1.5 billion in wages and benefits, Michael has not finished building his empire. In 2006, he bought a minority stake in what was then known as Charlotte Bobcats. The team changed its name to Charlotte Hornets in 2014, the same year that Michael paid $ 175 million for a majority stake in the team. Its participation was just under 90%. At that time, the Hornets were worth at least $ 600 million. After the team's debt was removed and his other assets included, Michael officially achieved billionaire status for the first time,
In 2019, he sold a minority portion of his stake to a group of hedge fund managers for an overall team valuation of $ 1.5 billion. Immediately after the closing of this transaction, Michael's net worth was $ 1.9 billion.
Since April 2020, Michael Jordan's net worth is $ 2.2 billion.
*** Kobe Bryant ***
As we all know, Kobe Bryant died tragically on January 26, 2020 in a helicopter accident at the age of 41. At the time of his death, Kobe Bryant's net worth was $ 600 million. If he were still alive today, Kobe would be one of the five richest athletes on the planet.
During his career, Kobe earned $ 328 million in salary and $ 350 million in endorsements for a total of $ 680 million. He was also one of the first investors in a sports drink company called Bodyarmor. He bought a 10% stake in the company in 2014 for $ 6 million. In 2018, Coca Cola bought a stake in Bodyarmor which valued the company as a whole at $ 2 billion. This meant that Kobe's $ 6 million investment was worth $ 200 million, on paper, before taxes.
Who was the richest athlete in history?
Does Michael Jordan's $ 2.2 Billion Fortune Make Him the Richest Athlete in Human History? Technically not. Not far. This distinction belongs to a Roman chariot driver named Gaius Appuleius Diocles who lived in 104 AD. Diocles ran for almost a quarter of a century, eventually retiring at age 42. He has won 1,462 of the 4,257 races in which he has participated. Diocle's salary was five times that of the wealthiest provincial governors of the same period. His income was also sufficient to supply cereals to the whole city of Rome for a full year or to pay each soldier of the Roman army at the height of his imperial reach for more than two months.
During his career, Diocles is said to have won 35,863,120 sesterces. Adjusted for inflation, his total earnings would be equal $ 15 billion.
Michael still has something to learn! He just needs to earn an additional $ 12.8 billion. If anyone can "just do it" ... it's Michael Jordan.
summary
As of April 2020, Michael Jordan is the world's richest athlete with a net worth of $ 2.2 billion. He is followed by a retired Romanian tennis player turned financial Ion Tiriac, who is worth $ 1 billion. These are the 10 richest athletes in the world in 2020:
- # 1 Michael Jordan $ 2.2 billion
- # 2 Ion Tiriac $ 1 billion
- # 3 Tiger Woods $ 800 million
- # 4 Magic Johnson $ 600 million
- # 5 Michael Schumacher $ 600 million
- # 6 Roger Staubach $ 600 million
- # 7 Floyd Mayweather $ 505 million
- # 8 LeBron James $ 480 million
- # 9 Eddie Jordan $ 475 million
- # 10 Cristiano Ronaldo $ 460 million
