Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods have topped the list of highest-paid athletes of all time. The two sportsmen are legends in their respective disciplines and are now the highest-paid athletes in history, according to Sportico.
Using adjusted inflation, Sportico reports that Jordan and Woods are the only athletes to earn at least $2 billion.
Per the data published, Jordan tops the rankings with $2.62 billion, with at least $1 billion coming from Nike as royalties since he retired from the NBA.
Woods, on the other hand, has earned $2.1 billion in career earnings as well as also benefiting from a longtime Nike partnership.
Woods saw his career take a hit following publicized divorce due to infidelity, losing multiple endorsement deals as a result, having a few run-ins with the law, and enduring a string of injuries.
Woods, has, however, managed to put his past behind him and proved his doubters wrong. Described as one of the greatest comebacks in sporting history, he won his fifth Masters title at the Augusta National recently, making it his first major victory in 11 years.
Jordan, since retiring from the NBA, took to entrepreneurship and also became one of the few Black billionaires in the world. A large chunk of his wealth comes from his paycheck from Nike, which has been his biggest financial and marketing backer.
Sportico calculated the earnings of 25 athletes from different sporting fields, with at least 12 of them earning at least $1 billion.
The other Black athletes on the list include Floyd Mayweather Jr ($1.2 billion), LeBron James ($1.17 billion), Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal ($870 million), Kevin Durant ($625 million), Mike Tyson, and Lewis Hamilton.
Although the list was dominated by male athletes, few Black female athletes managed to make the list but outside the top 25. Serena Williams headlined female athletes with career earnings of $480 million.
Sportico arrived that the earnings by tabulating the athletes’ total earnings based on salaries, endorsements, licensing, and memorabilia since their first year of playing professionally.
