The 10 Highest Paid Athletes of All-Time Are Even Richer Than You Think
Who reigns supreme?
A lot of people have gotten rich playing sports, but the athletes who are so rich that they’re on this list have done much more than excel at a game. They’ve figured out how to parlay their athletic prowess into endorsements and business deals, eventually making more money off the court than on it.
That’s the key to earning a true fortune as an athlete, whose talent will eventually fade. If a former superstar is still getting paid once that day arrives, then he has done something right. And he might one day find himself on this Forbes list.
10. Shaquille O’Neal
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The Diesel was paid nearly $300 million on the court, but he’s always been good at making money away from basketball too. Remember Kazaam?
9. David Beckham
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Becks is this highest earning soccer player of all-time and it’s not just for his work on the pitch. Forbes notes that the English legend pulled in $75 million in 2014, the year he retired, with a couple boffo business deals.
8. Phil Mickelson
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At 46 years old, Lefty is still plugging along in the PGA, adding to his already eye-popping $760 million in the bank.
7. Floyd Mayweather
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Imagine how much it must hurt Money’s ego to be at number seven on this list. And then imagine how much you’d be worried about a list if you had $765 million.
6. Kobe Bryant
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Over his 20-year career, Bryant made $328 million from the Lakers. Thanks to endorsement deals, he more than doubled that for a $770 million in total earnings.
5.Michael Schumacher
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Formula One may not move the needle much in the U.S., but around the world Schumacher’s enough of a stud that he’s hit the nine-digit mark in career earnings, with $1 billion even.
4. Jack Nicklaus
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In 100 years, the Golden Bear may be known less for playing on golf courses than for designing them, a business that has helped him build $1.15 billion in career earnings.
3. Arnold Palmer
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It took Arnie nearly two decades to earn a million dollars from golf, but by the time he died in September he’d cashed checks worth $1.35 billion. Credit goes to a brilliant business mind that led him to, among other things, buy up prestigious golf clubs and hawk a drink named after him with his face right on the bottle.
2. Tiger Woods
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The $1.65 billion Tiger has pulled down is impressive, especially when you consider how much more it would be if he could have kept his pants on.
1. Michael Jordan
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His Airness only made $93 million playing the game that made him a legend, with the bulk of his $1.7 billion in career earnings come from business venture. Nike’s Jordan Brand alone earned him $100 million each year.
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