Not each skilled athlete is wealthy. In truth, the median pay for athletes and sports activities rivals in 2021 was $77,300, in line with the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
However some athletes are making financial institution. In truth, the very best paid athletes of all time can rely their earnings within the billions.
Sports activities enterprise publication Sportico recently pulled together a list of the 50 highest paid athletes. (If you’re on the lookout for a girl, you received’t discover her right here. The one feminine to make the highest 50 was tennis legend Serena Williams, who landed within the No. 38 spot with inflation-adjusted earnings of $600 million.)
Following are the highest Individuals to make the minimize among the many highest paid athletes of all time.
10. Mike Tyson
This athlete’s lifetime earnings: $875 million (adjusted for inflation)
The yr this athlete retired: 2005
“Iron Mike” Tyson had a heavyweight boxing profession that spanned 20 years. Throughout that point, he won 50 bouts and landed 44 knockouts. He solely misplaced six occasions.
Nevertheless, Tyson could also be as notorious for his habits outdoors the ring as for his wins in it. His authorized historical past is checkered with crimes, and regardless of having earned a lot, Tyson filed for chapter in 2003.
9. Shaquille O’Neal
This athlete’s lifetime earnings: $1.05 billion (adjusted for inflation)
The yr this athlete retired: 2011
Shaquille O’Neal – identified to many merely as Shaq – is an enormous man, has an enormous character and has made huge cash. The basketball star was drafted by the Orlando Magic in 1992, and he earned Rookie of the 12 months honors in 1993.
Right now, Shaq is off the court docket however nonetheless within the recreation, so to talk, as a commentator on the present “Contained in the NBA.” He has additionally racked up a formidable variety of endorsement offers and dabbles in multiple business ventures.
8. Kobe Bryant
This athlete’s lifetime earnings: $1.05 billion (adjusted for inflation)
The yr this athlete retired: 2016
When he was drafted in 1996, Kobe Bryant was one of the youngest players within the NBA. As a guard with the Los Angeles Lakers, the staff received 5 championships throughout his profession, and he played alongside Shaquille O’Neal for 3 of them in a row.
This basketball nice would doubtless have risen within the ranks on this checklist if his life wasn’t tragically minimize quick by a helicopter crash in 2020.
7. Phil Mickelson
This athlete’s lifetime earnings: $1.36 billion (adjusted for inflation)
The yr this athlete retired: N/A
Golf legend Phil Mickelson has 57 career wins and has been inducted within the World Golf Corridor of Fame, however he isn’t retiring but. The 52-year-old has stirred up some controversy, although, along with his choice to play in a LIV Golf Invitational collection which is backed by Saudi Arabia.
6. Floyd Mayweather
This athlete’s lifetime earnings: $1.41 billion (adjusted for inflation)
The yr this athlete retired: 2017
Thought-about by some to be one of many best boxers of all time, Floyd Mayweather Jr. was undefeated in his profession. On his approach to 50 wins, he had 27 knockouts.
Mayweather’s choice to advertise his personal fights helped enhance his monetary backside line. He walked away from a 2015 match in opposition to Manny Pacquiao with $200 million from pay-per-view gross sales, the biggest payday ever for a boxer. Then, he surpassed that file by incomes an estimated $275 million for a 2017 match-up with Conor McGregor.
5. LeBron James
This athlete’s lifetime earnings: $1.53 billion (adjusted for inflation)
The yr this athlete retired: N/A
King James, as LeBron James is typically referred to as, has been enjoying skilled basketball for 20 seasons. He’s the all-time scoring leader, placing up greater than 38,000 factors in his profession to date.
Drafted because the No. 1 pick for the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003, James now performs for the L.A. Lakers. Within the low season, he spends his time on different endeavors – like starring within the not-critically acclaimed film “House Jam: A New Legacy.”
4. Jack Nicklaus
This athlete’s lifetime earnings: $1.63 billion (adjusted for inflation)
The yr this athlete retired: 2005
With a profession that spanned practically 45 years, Jack Nicklaus is probably the best skilled golfer of all time. Generally known as the Golden Bear, he launched his skilled profession in 1962 by beating fellow golf great Arnold Palmer within the U.S. Open.
He went on to win a number of occasions within the U.S. Open, Masters, PGA Championship and British Open. Nicklaus was a five-time PGA Participant of the 12 months and was inducted into the World Golf Corridor of Fame in 1974. Right now, the 83-year-old lives in Florida and is still involved in the sport.
3. Arnold Palmer
This athlete’s lifetime earnings: $1.7 billion (adjusted for inflation)
The yr this athlete retired: 2006
Arnold Palmer could have misplaced the 1962 U.S. Open to Jack Nicklaus, however he bests his competitor relating to lifetime earnings. Palmer turned pro in 1954 and racked up 62 PGA Tour wins over the course of greater than 50 years.
Palmer handed away in 2016 on the age of 87, however his legend lives on within the event and golf programs that bear his title in addition to the half lemonade, half iced tea drink that he made well-known.
2. Tiger Woods
This athlete’s lifetime earnings: $2.5 billion (adjusted for inflation)
The yr this athlete retired: N/A
We proceed the streak of golf gamers with Tiger Woods. Because the second most extremely paid American athlete of all time, Woods has lifetime earnings that exceed $2 billion, when adjusted for inflation, and he’s nonetheless enjoying.
A professional participant since 1996, Woods has 82 career wins and that’s regardless of a series of injuries. His profession additionally skilled a setback after a 2009 auto accident, allegations of extramarital affairs and a brief stint in a behavioral rehab center.
1. Michael Jordan
This athlete’s lifetime earnings: $3.3 billion (adjusted for inflation)
The yr this athlete retired: 2003
Should you’ve ever owned a pair of Air Jordan sneakers, you’ve helped their namesake change into a billionaire. Michael Jordan — a basketball legend — has amassed $3.3 billion in earnings over his lifetime.
As a celebrity participant for the Chicago Bulls, he led the staff to 6 NBA championships and was MVP 5 occasions. He cashed in on his superb skills with quite a few endorsement offers, and, earlier than there was LeBron James, there was Jordan within the authentic “House Jam” film. Right now, he owns the Charlotte Hornets, though there are reports he’s trying to promote.
