The Six Richest Athletes in the World
By
Richard Janvrin
Contributor Updated: 13 February 2025
Richard Janvrin Contributor
Richard has been writing about sports since he was a teenager. Still, his first professional role came in 2015, covering all things NFL and fantasy football-related. From there, in December 2018, he started in the sports betting industry, covering sportsbook reviews before arriving to where he is today.
The Six Richest American Athletes of All Time
While some players may rise to prominence due to their ability on the field, ice, course, or court, that notoriety allows them to earn even more thanks to endorsements and other ways of generating revenue.
For some of these athletes, we’ve spent time on all online betting sites to wager on them. For others, they’re legends of the past.
Below, I’ll dive into the six richest athletes in the world and how they’ve developed their wealth.
- 1. Michael Jordan
- 2. Tiger Woods
- 3. LeBron James
- 4. Floyd Mayweather
- 5. Phil Mickelson
- 6. Jack Nicklaus
1. Michael Jordan
We all know Michael Jordan as the best basketball player of all time, and because of that, the endorsements provided to him have been endless.
As a player for the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards, he earned over $90 million. He played from 1984 to 1993 and again from 1995 to 2003. He was a six-time NBA champion and won five MVP awards. His list of accolades, much like his endorsement deals, is long.
However, his most notable wealth source is his partnership with Nike, which alone answers the question of “who is the richest athlete?”
The official percentage he receives from them isn’t publicly known, but many estimate it to be around 5% of Nike’s revenue.
For context, Nike produced $51.217 billion in revenue in 2023.
So, 5% of that is about $2.5635 billion.
In addition, he’s had endorsement deals with companies like Gatorade and Hanes and was on the Wheaties box.
He’s also been involved in many other business ventures, including investing in DraftKings, launching 23Xl Racing in NASCAR, and even past ownership of the Charlotte Hornets.
According to Sportico, his non-adjusted earnings are roughly $2.7 billion, but with everything mentioned above, assuming the 5% deal with Nike is accurate, it could be even more than that.
Regarding the richest athletes in the world, no one tops Jordan.
2. Tiger Woods
For younger sports fans, it may be hard to articulate, but Tiger Woods’s rise and fame during his prime were unmatched.
In his career, he’s won 82 PGA Tour events and 15 major championships, including four Masters wins from 1997 to 2005.
Of course, being a golfer, Woods was paid for where he finished in tournaments, and it’s estimated he made about $121 million from the PGA Tour.
Throughout his career, he’s been an endorser for several major brands, including Nike, Rolex, Bridgestone, Monster, and more.
Woods has also invested in things like restaurants and golf courses.
He’s the CEO of TGR, a company that is involved in many things, including charity, among other business endeavors.
He’s also had his Sun Day Red clothing line in partnership with TaylorMade Golf.
Jordan is long retired from basketball, but at 49, Woods is still playing golf.
He’s estimated to have earned $1.85 billion and is the second among highest paid athletes of all time, trailing only Jordan.
3. LeBron James
Kicking off our list of the highest-paid athletes of all time, we mentioned Jordan, and not so far behind him is LeBron James, who some argue is the best basketball player of all time over Jordan.
While that can be debated several times over, one thing is for sure: Jordan has earned more money than James.
Of course, James, 40, is younger than Jordan, 61.
Looking at the richest athletes in the world, James is actually No. 4 behind Jordan, Woods, and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Focusing on American athletes only, though, he lands at No. 3.
A large chunk of James’s earnings have come strictly from NBA contracts.
Per Spotrac, he’s earned $528,695,302 from playing in the NBA and is slated to earn $52,627,153 more in 2025, putting him just over $581 million.
He’s had endorsement deals with Nike, Coca-Cola, AT&T, DraftKings, GMC, Taco Bell, and more.
His deal with Nike is a lifetime deal, valued at around $1 billion.
James has invested in several businesses, including Blaze Pizza, Fenway Sports Group, Lobo 1707, and more.
Given all of these sources, he’s got to be closing in on passing Ronaldo and Woods.
4. Floyd Mayweather
While he may not have one-punch knockout power, it’s hard to dispute that Floyd Mayweather is the greatest boxer of all time.
The 47-year-old is 50-0 in his boxing career, including 27 wins by KO.
With so much success in boxing, it should come as no surprise that he has been a massive PPV draw.
From one fight alone against Canelo Alvarez, he earned $41.5 million.
As for yearly earnings, he was named the richest athlete in 2018 after pulling in $285 million from fights, PPVs, and endorsements.
Mayweather isn’t as involved in business ventures as the other athletes mentioned so far, which is intriguing when considering the highest-paid athletes of all time, but in 2006, he founded Mayweather Promotions, which has helped him keep a lot of his revenue from fights.
He’s generated about 24 million PPV buys and over $1.67 billion in his career.
His earnings are believed to be about $1.14 billion.
5. Phil Mickelson
Coming in at No. 5 is the second golfer on the list, and someone often mentioned as one of the best to ever do it, Phil Mickelson.
The winner of six majors and more than 40 PGA Tour events, he’s earned about $100 million from that alone.
Further, his endorsements are valued at around $800 million, catapulting him to one of the highest paid athletes of all time. These included Callaway, Exxon, BMW, and more.
Additionally, he signed a four-year deal worth about $200 million with LIV Golf, which is backed by Saudi Arabia.
If we combine all this together, his estimated earnings, per Sportico, are about $1.05 billion.
6. Jack Nicklaus
Believe it or not, we have another golfer on the list, and he’s the only man to have more major championship wins than Woods: Jack Nicklaus.
He won 18 majors during his playing career and has 73 PGA Tour wins.
While he earned money from playing in those days, it wasn’t nearly the money players today earn today.
Thus, in addition to his playing career, Nicklaus has earned money from endorsements with companies like Arizona Beverages, Teralto Wines, Rolex, and more.
However, he also owns Nicklaus Design, a golf course design company that’s one of the biggest in the industry. In all, Nicklaus Design has developed more than 400 courses across 45 countries.
If you adjust for inflation, he’s earned more than Mickelson, Mayweather, and James, but not adjusting for inflation, he falls to No. 6 on our list.
Still, for someone who hasn’t played golf since 2000, he’s still one of the richest athletes of all time.
