The richest athletes of all time

The US magazine “Forbes” regularly updates the ranking of the richest athletes in history. It includes prominent names – and a few surprise placements. Here is the top ten richest athletes of all time.

Shaquille O’Neal came in 10th with earnings of $735 millionr during and after his sporting career. The 51-year-old played in the NBA basketball league from 1992 to 2011. There he is considered one of the best players in NBA history: he was champion four times and all-star 15 times. In 2016, he was inducted into basketball’s most prestigious hall of fame, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. In addition to his sporting successes, the 2.16 meter man also appeared as a rapper and released a total of four albums. Several film appearances followed, for example as a DC superhero. Meanwhile, O’Neal has been immortalized as a Lego and Smurf figure.

Floyd “Money” Mayweather lives up to his nickname: The lightweight and welterweight boxer has, according to Forbes, throughout his career $785 million earned. In 1996 he won the bronze medal as an amateur boxer at the Olympic Games in Atlanta, after which he started his professional career. In 2014, he won the fight against competitor Manny Pacquiao for $240 million. Never before had so much prize money been paid out for a single fight. Mayweather has won the world championship twelve times, but has also been criticized for his provocative statements and sometimes unfair fighting style. In 2012, he began serving a 90-day sentence for assaulting his ex-girlfriend. In 2015 he ended his career and remained undefeated in his 49 fights.

Basketball player Kobe Bryant and soccer player David Beckham shared eighth and seventh place respectively. Both come from according to Forbes on earnings 800 million dollars. Kobe Bryant was one of the most successful basketball players ever for over 20 years. His net worth is $800 million. He earned the NBA’s highest salary for six consecutive years and won Olympic gold with the US national team in Beijing in 2008. In 2016 he ended his sports career. Four years later, Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter accident at the age of 41, as did one of his four daughters.

Brit David Beckham also earned $800 million. He played for Manchester United and Real Madrid and was runner-up in FIFA World Player of the Year awards in 1999 and 2001 respectively. In 2013, Beckham ended his football career. But his most lucrative years were those after: Beckham is the face of several brands such as Adidas, Coty, H&M, Samsung and Breitling. He has released several of his own fashion collections and a Scotch. However, he remains loyal to football, so Beckham founded the Inter Miami team, which has been playing in Florida since 2020.

Philip Alfred Mickelson is an American golfer. Because he golfs left-handed, he is nicknamed “Lefty”. He began his career in 1992, impressing on two of the most important golf tours in the USA: Mickelson won the PGA Tour 45 times. With prize money totaling $84 million, only one earned more than him: Tiger Woods. Numerous advertising deals also brought him a lot of money: Rolex, Amgen, ExxonMobil, Grayhawk and Workday are just a few of them. In 2022 it was confirmed that Mickelson would be part of a new series of tournaments in Saudi Arabia. Mickelson has earned earnings from over the course of his career $815 million achieved.

With income from a billion dollars in his career, fifth place goes to the only German in the top ten: racing driver Michael Schumacher. With a total of seven world championship titles, Schumacher is the most successful Formula 1 driver in history, five titles in a row. He was also Goodwill Ambassador on Sports and Education for UNESCO. In 2006 he initially retired from Formula 1, three years later he returned and now drives for Mercedes instead of Ferrari. In 2012 he declared his final retirement, and the following year Schuhmacher suffered a serious accident while skiing. Since then he has lived a secluded life, and there is hardly any information about his state of health. His brother Ralf and his son Mick Schumacher are also successful racing drivers.

According to Forbes, Jack Nicklaus earns from $1.2 billion Fourth richest athlete of all time. Nicknamed “The Golden Bear,” the golfer has won 117 tournaments and 18 major championships over the course of his career – three more than Tiger Woods. After ending his golf career in 2005, he remained true to the sport and runs his company “Nicklaus Design”, which sells golf equipment. He also runs a golf course architecture firm called The Golden Bear.

With income from $1.5 billion another golfer occupies a place: Arnold Palmer. In 1955, Palmer won his first PGA championship, and he holds seven of those titles in total. He is also considered the founder of modern sports marketing. In the 1950s and 60s, Palmer’s charismatic charisma helped to attract a larger audience to golf through the relatively new mass medium of television. In addition to prize money, he was also able to generate income through advertising. Palmer was also known as a golf course designer. He died in 2016. His grandson is also a professional golfer. In honor of Palmer, there is a drink made from lemonade and iced tea in the USA: the “Arnold Palmer”.

Golfer Tiger Woods earned whole in his career $1.7 billion. Born Eldrick Tont Woods, he is one of the most successful golfers in sports history. At the age of two he was considered a “golf prodigy” and impressed in a television show. He has won the famous PGA Tour a total of 82 times, putting him second on the leaderboard behind Sam Snead. During his professional career, Woods has had 20 hole-in-ones and 15 major tournament wins. He also earns some money through advertising: Woods is sponsored by TaylorMade, Bridgestone and Monster Energy. Wood’s marriage broke up in 2010 after he publicly confessed to extramarital affairs and a sex addiction. His career also suffered because many sponsors ended their support.

The top-ranked richest athlete of all time is basketball player Michael Jordan. Hard to believe today: The bumpy start to his career began when the high school team didn’t want him on the team. The reason: Jordan’s height of 1.80 at the time was too small. He was in tenth grade at the time.

Michael Jordan is one of the most famous NBA players in the world and mainly played for the Chicago Bulls. During his career, he has had six NBA titles, five MVP honors and two Olympic Games wins. He makes most of his money with advertising partnerships and investments. In 2010, Jordan bought the NBA team Bobcats (now the Charlotte Hornets) for $300 million. He has also been the face of many advertising campaigns. A beverage company even advertised with the slogan “Be like Mike” and sports manufacturer Nike printed Jordan’s iconic 1988 dunk on its sportswear and shoes. “His Airness” earned overall $1.85 billion. Perhaps his greatest success, however, was making basketball known worldwide and inspiring generations of young athletes to do so.

Also read: These are the richest people in the Forbes 2023 ranking