Athletes earn a decent living from their athletic careers, but some have also moved into other activities, such as brand endorsements and investments. Here are the top ten sportsmen with fortunes exceeding $1 billion.
Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Vince McMahon, Lionel Messi, and Ion Tiriac are among them. They all have a large fan group and profit from their sports careers.
According to a new Sportico report, Michael Jordan is still the world's richest athlete, even after retiring from competitive basketball 20 years ago. His Airness' total career earnings are believed to be $3.3 billion
It's no secret that Jordan has a talent for accumulating and retaining riches, but he's also become one of the most generous philanthropists in sports history. He recently gave the Make-A-Wish Foundation $10 million, the largest single donation in the organization's existence.
Jordan has many endorsement deals, and his Nike collaboration has been a financial success. He also owns the Charlotte Hornets and has stated that he hopes to achieve a championship as an owner someday.
Thanks to hefty contracts, athletes are among the wealthiest people in the world. Professional athletes can make tens of millions in a single match, and their endorsement contracts frequently exceed hundreds of millions.
Vince McMahon, the world's richest athlete, is a 77-year-old business magnate who created World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). The American professional wrestling promoter is valued at more than 1.6 billion dollars.
Outside the WWE, the famous wrestling magnate has several ventures, including a subscription video-on-demand over-the-top streaming service and other multimedia subsidiaries. He also runs a wrestling training centre and is a partner in the clothing company Tapout.
The 77-year-old started his career as a wrestler announcer before becoming a wrestling promoter for his father, Vincent J. McMahon's Capitol Wrestling Corporation. (CWC). He bought CWC from his father in 1982 and became the single owner of WWF. During his tenure, he developed WWE into one of the world's most significant sports promotions, acquiring small wrestling promotions and transforming them into profitable businesses.
Floyd Mayweather, nicknamed 'Money,' is among the world's wealthiest athletes. He is well-known for his incredible boxing success, winning six world championships and a net worth of $560 million.
Mayweather has earned millions as a boxer from his fights, as well as from endorsements and other businesses. Mayweather Promotions is his promotional business, and TMT is his clothing line.
He is one of the world's most successful athletes and is generally regarded as an icon and role model for aspiring boxers worldwide.
Mayweather has earned a fortune from real estate and other investments in addition to his boxing career. He possesses several properties in Las Vegas and New York City, including an 11-bedroom mansion he purchased for $10 million.
He also has a collection of luxury vehicles, private jets, and timepieces. His inventory includes a Koenigsegg CCXR Trevita, a Bugatti Veyron, and other exotic vehicles.
While Kobe Bryant's name may not be as well-known as LeBron James', he is one of the world's wealthiest sportsmen. During his NBA career, he made over $25 million in salary and a whopping $680 million in endorsement deals.
He also made significant business investments and was very successful in the philanthropic sector during his career. He was a partner in the non-profit After-School All-Stars and managed the Kobe Basketball Academy, an annual summer camp.
He also co-founded a venture capital firm with Jeff Stibel and owned stock in several technology, media, and data firms. The business was founded with a $100 million investment and now manages over $2 billion in assets.
He spent $6 million in Body Armour in 2014 for a 10% stake. That investment significantly increased his family's wealth. Since then, the business has become one of the world's most popular sports-drink brands.
