The wealthiest athlete of all time is generally considered to be Michael Jordan, the former NBA basketball superstar, with an estimated net worth of over $3.2 to $3.5 billion as of 2025-2026, making him the first athlete to become a billionaire and then a multi-billionaire. While Jordan earned about $93 million in NBA salaries during his playing career from 1984 to 2003, the vast majority of his wealth comes from endorsements, particularly his long-term deal with Nike that created the Air Jordan brand, which generates over $5 billion in annual revenue for Nike and pays Jordan over $150 million annually in royalties. He also made hundreds of millions from endorsement deals with Gatorade, Hanes, McDonald's, and other brands, plus his ownership of the Charlotte Hornets NBA team, which he bought for $175 million in 2010 and sold a majority stake in 2023 at a $3 billion valuation, netting a huge profit. Other contenders for wealthiest athlete include Vince McMahon who was a wrestler and promoter, Tiger Woods with $1.2 billion, LeBron James with over $1.2 billion, and Ion Tiriac, a former Romanian tennis player who became a billionaire businessman. However, by most credible lists from Forbes and Bloomberg, Michael Jordan remains the richest athlete ever due to his unparalleled business success after sports.
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