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For some athletes, bringing the curtain down on a decorated career on the court or field doesn’t necessarily the lifestyle of the rich and famous has to stop.
The 100 highest-paid athletes of all time were unveiled by Sportico this week with the wealthiest men and women to ever grace the world’s top sporting stages making a combined $6.2 billion last year alone.
Yet it was a sporting legend who retired over 20 years ago who had them all beat. NBA icon Michael Jordan won his last championship back in 1998, but 25 years later he’s still raking in a fortune.
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The Chicago Bulls legend earned an estimated $300 million last year alone with his lucrative partnership continuing to be profitable.
His 2024 earnings took his all-time wealth – dating back to when he turned pro in 1984 – to a staggering $3 billion. That’s an estimated $4.15 billion once inflation is factored in, according to Sportico.
The eye-watering figure places Jordan ahead of some of the biggest names in sport, including Tiger Woods, Cristiano Ronaldo and LeBron James.
NBA legend Michael Jordan reportedly tops the 100 highest-paid athletes of all time
Golf icon Tiger Woods (L) and soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo (R) come in at second and third
15-time major winner Woods has been dating Vanessa Trump (right) since Thanksgiving
15-time major winner Woods only managed a total of 12 competitive rounds at five tournaments through 2024 – missing the cut at three and withdrawing at another – but he still managed to clinch second place on the top earners list.
Like Jordan, the golf icon has enjoyed a fruitful partnership with Nike throughout his career. That is, until that 27-year, $500 million deal came to an end last year when he split from the sportswear giant to establish his own brand, ‘Sun Day Red.’
Hi endorsement deals off the fairways combined with his success on them, including a record-tying 82 PGA Tour wins, has raked in a total of $1.91 billion – or an inflation-adjusted $2.79 billion.
Ronaldo and James, who are both still active even at age 40, are close behind Woods. The pair, who are also both Nike athletes, are said to have banked $1.83 bn ($2.23 bn with inflation) and $1.49 bn ($1.88 bn with inflation) throughout their careers.
Ronaldo is joined in the top five by fellow soccer player and longtime rival, Lionel Messi, who joined MLS side Inter Miami in 2023. The World Cup winner has amassed a fortune worth $1.49 bn throughout his glittering career on the soccer field, or an inflation-adjusted $1.85 bn.
Surprisingly, golfers Arnold Palmer, who died in 2016, and Jack Nicklaus, 85, have snuck into seventh and eighth thanks to their inflation-adjusted totals.
The golf legends, who boast a combined 25 major titles between them, earned mere pennies in comparison to their more contemporary sports peers with Palmer pocketing $885m and Nicklaus $910m for their ventures on and off the course.
But once you remove the disadvantage of the era, inflation bumps those totals up to $1.82 bn and $1.75 bn respectively.
Jordan earned an estimated $300 million last year alone amid his profitable Nike partnership
LeBron James, who is also a Nike athlete, is said to have banked $1.88 bn after inflation
Soccer legend Ronaldo is pictured with long-term girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez
England soccer hero and Inter Miami owner David Beckham ($1.61 bn with inflation), tennis icon Roger Federer ($1.59 bn) and boxer Floyd Mayweather ($1.52 bn) round out the top 10.
Seven-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady, who signed a 10-year, $375million deal with Fox Sports to become the network’s lead color commentator following his retirement, surprisingly failed to crack the top 20.
The former quarterback has reportedly pocked $635 million – or $820 million post-inflation – to sit 21st, just behind Golden State Warriors Steph Curry, despite having been one of the NFL’s biggest earners throughout the final decade of his career.
Serena Williams, arguably one of the greatest tennis players and female athletes of all time, is the only woman to have made it into the top 50.
At No. 40, the 23-time Grand Slam winner has amassed a fortune of $485million ($660 million after inflation).