Michael Jordan is The Highest-Paid Athlete of All Time
Jump Man, also known as Michael Jordan is the highest-paid athlete of all time, mostly thanks to his brand deals.
Not only is Michael Jordan king of basketball, but he is also king of the entire sports world. Sportico recently revealed its list of the 25 highest-paid athletes of all time and the retired basketball legend took the number one spot.
Michael Jordan had amassed over US$2.62 billion in career earnings. Most of his earnings had come from Nike royalties amounting to US$1 billion, the brand had been paying him since his retirement in 2003. Thanks to Air Jordans, he will continue to make US$150 million this year.
Interestingly, only six per cent of his earnings come from his time on the court with his contracts with the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards during his 15 years in the NBA.
In second place is Tiger Woods, making US$2.1 billion. The top 12 athletes have all made at least US$1 billion and include names such as Arnold Palmer, Cristiano Ronaldo, LeBron James, Lionel Messi, and Roger Federer.
However, the list of 25 athletes is void of any female entries. Tennis icon Serena Williams had made just shy of US$480 million, putting her just outside of the top 40.
- READ MORE: The Forbes 400 2021 List Is Out Now
On the topic of rich people, Elon Musk has beaten Jeff Bezos to become the richest man alive. He secured the top spot for himself as Tesla shares had broken through the US$1 trillion mark. He also broke the record for the biggest one-day gains in the history of the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
For more reads on billionaires, click here.
