The richest professional basketball player in history is legendary icon Michael Jordan, whose monumental net worth crosses the multi-billion-dollar threshold. While Jordan earned substantial salaries throughout his illustrious playing career with the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards, the vast majority of his staggering wealth was generated through his revolutionary, highly lucrative partnership with Nike via the Jordan Brand, alongside smart entrepreneurial ventures and his former majority ownership stake in the Charlotte Hornets, placing him far ahead of any other former or active player in accumulated financial net worth.