Professional athletes have amassed fortunes throughout the years by participating in any sports they want, earning millions of dollars each year. Due to their whopping contracts and enormous remunerations, these professional athletes have also been included among the wealthiest persons in the world.
1. Vince McMahon (Net Worth) – $2.8 billion
Vince, a veteran competitive wrestler, has branched out into several various industries. He has an estimated value of $2.8 billion and works as a critic, publicist, and producer of movies. The Class A common stock of WWE, which tripled in value to $90 per share in October 2018, is owned by Vince, the richest wrestler in the world today, to the tune of almost 57%. In addition, he is the chief executive officer of Alpha Entertainment, which he founded in 2017 to manage the XFL American Football League’s comeback in 2020. He lives in his USD 12 million Penthouse in Manhattan when he’s not in his USD 40 million mansion in Greenwich, Connecticut. He also currently holds a 47-foot sports yacht called Sexy Bitch and a $20 million vacation property. His wealth was $3.6 billion in 2018. Vince McMahon is frequently cited as the most significant figure in the history of professional wrestling as well as for his significant contributions to American culture and television. Vince McMahon, who is believed to have a net worth of $2.8 billion as of March 2023, is the richest sports figure in the world.
2. Michael Jordan (Net Worth) – $2 billion
American retired competitive basketball player and entrepreneur Michael Jeffrey Jordan, also known by his initials “MJ,” is largely recognized as the finest basketball player in history. In his fifteen seasons of NBA participation, Michael Jordan led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA titles. Jordan serves as the chairman and primary owner of 23XI Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series as well as the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets. In the 1980s and 1990s, he played a key role in the NBA and basketball’s global popularization, emerging as a cultural icon. When competing in Slam Dunk Contests, Jordan’s remarkable leaping prowess was on display as he slam dunked from the free-throw line. He gained the moniker “Air Jordan” and “His Airness”.
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3. Ion Țiriac (Net Worth) – $2 billion
Ion Iriac, a Romanian businessman and former professional tennis and ice hockey player, is also known as the “Braşov Bulldozer.” He served as the Romanian Tennis Federation’s president. Tiriac, a former ATP Tour singles top 10 player, won the men’s doubles title in the 1970 French Open, his only grand slam victory. The first time a man played against a woman in a tennis match and won, it was Iriac (against Abigail Maynard, in 1975). His participation as a defenseman for the Romanian national team in the 1964 Winter Olympics was the pinnacle of his ice hockey career. Ion Iriac, who was ranked 840th in the world, became the first Romanian to make it onto the Forbes List of Billionaires in 2007.
4. Tiger Woods (Net Worth) – $1.1 billion
One of the most well-known athletes in recent history, Tiger Woods is an American professional golfer who is widely recognized as one of the all-time greats. He was honored with a World Golf Hall of Fame induction. Only Jack Nicklaus, who has the most, has won more professional major golf tournaments (15), and Woods has won 82 PGA Tour competitions (tied for first all-time with Sam Snead). Woods became the fourth golfer to win the Presidential Medal of Freedom when Donald Trump presented it to him in May 2019. Woods held the title of the most marketable athlete in the world for the first ten years of his professional career.
5. LeBron James (Net Worth) – $1 billion
American professional basketball player LeBron Raymone James plays for the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is known as “King James” and is sometimes compared to Michael Jordan in discussions about the greatest basketball player of all time. James is regarded as one of the all-time greats in the sport. James ranks 4th in career assists and is the all-time top scorer in the NBA. He has participated in 10 NBA Finals and won four NBA championships—two with the Miami Heat, one with the Los Angeles Lakers, and one with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He has two Olympic gold medals, four MVP trophies, and four Finals MVP awards.
