Michael Jordan is the highest-paid athlete of all time, earning $2.62 billion in inflation adjusted earnings, according to a story released by Sportico on Thursday morning.
Jordan topped a list in which he is followed by three golfers: Tiger Woods ($2.1 billion), Arnold Palmer ($1.5 billion) and Jack Nicklaus ($1.38 billion). Current NBA superstar LeBron James ranks seventh on the list at $1.17 billion.
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Here’s a look at the full top-25 list:
| Rank | Athlete | Country | Sport | Turned Pro | Inflation Adjusted Earnings |
| 1 | Michael Jordan | United States | Basketball | 1984 | $2.62 billion |
| 2 | Tiger Woods | United States | Golf | 1996 | $2.1 billion |
| 3 | Arnold Palmer | United States | Golf | 1954 | $1.5 billion |
| 4 | Jack Nicklaus | United States | Golf | 1961 | $1.38 billion |
| 5 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | Soccer | 2002 | $1.24 billion |
| 6 | Floyd Mayweather | United States | Boxing | 1996 | $1.2 billion |
| 7 | LeBron James | United States | Basketball | 2003 | $1.17 billion |
| 8 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | Soccer | 2004 | $1.14 billion |
| 9 | Michael Schumacher | Germany | Racing | 1991 | $1.13 billion |
| 10 | Roger Federer | Switzerland | Tennis | 1998 | $1.12 billion |
| 11 | Phil Mickelson | United States | Golf | 1992 | $1.08 billion |
| 12 | David Beckham | United Kingdom | Soccer | 1992 | $1.05 billion |
| 13 | Kobe Bryant | United States | Basketball | 1996 | $930 million |
| 14 | Shaquille O’Neal | United States | Basketball | 1992 | $870 million |
| 15 | Greg Norman | Australia | Golf | 1976 | $815 million |
| 16 | Mike Tyson | United States | Boxing | 1985 | $775 million |
| 17 | Alex Rodriguez | United States | Baseball | 1993 | $650 million |
| 18 | Manny Pacquiao | Philippines | Boxing | 1995 | $630 million |
| 19 | Kevin Durant | United States | Basketball | 2007 | $625 million |
| 20 | Lewis Hamilton | United Kingdom | Racing | 2007 | $620 million |
| 21 | Neymar | Brazil | Soccer | 2009 | $615 million |
| 22 | Jeff Gordon | United States | Racing | 1990 | $595 million |
| 23 | Oscar de la Hoya | United States | Boxing | 1992 | $580 million |
| 24 | Peyton Manning | United States | Football | 1998 | $570 million |
| 25 | Derek Jeter | United States | Baseball | 1992 | $555 million |
Here’s a look at other statistics from Jordan’s net worth, NBA salary and career endorsements.
What is Michael Jordan’s net worth?
Jordan’s net worth is $1.6 billion, according to a story in March from the Chicago Sun-Times.
That total is down $500 million from last year, according to the same story, which is perhaps related to the GameStop stocks that rose considerably earlier this year.
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Per the Sun-Times, Jordan was worth $1 billion in March 2015, a total that rose to $1.8 billion by March 2019, per Forbes. He continued trending up to his high of $2.1 billion in April 2020 before taking losses in the past year.
What was Michael Jordan’s NBA salary?
According to HoopsHype, Jordan earned $86,760,000 during his playing career ($144,638,640 in current dollars).
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Jordan’s highest-paid year was during his final season with the Chicago Bulls in 1997-98, when he earned $33,140,000 (equivalent to $53,296,273 today). It was significantly more than what he earned earlier in his career and even surpassed the NBA salary cap at the time.
Which current endorsements does Michael Jordan have?
The story from Sportico evealed only 6 percent of Jordan’s total earnings are from his playing days with the Bulls and Washington Wizards. His estimated total is based on salaries, endorsements, licensing and memorabilia earnings since he entered the NBA in 1984 and includes ongoing endorsements with Nike, Gatorade, Hanes and Upper Deck.
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Per the story, Jordan will earn an estimated $150 million through his seminal Nike partnership in royalties in 2021, which is nearly two decades after he retired from the sport following the 2002-03 season.
Jordan’s “retro” shoes from when he played during the 1990s have continued to sell well since his retirement, and the Jordan brand led a Nike resurgence in fourth-quarter sales and shares this year.
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