Basketball icon Michael Jordan has been named the richest athlete in the world ahead of wrestling tycoon Vince McMahon and Paris Saint-Germain superstar Lionel Messi.
The 58-year-old American superstar’s legendary exploits in the NBA have forever etched his names in the history books of sporting achievements.
MJ won six NBA championships during his remarkable playing career with the Chicago Bulls and scooped five NBA MVP awards during his 15 NBA seasons.
Wealthy Gorilla compiled data from Forbes and Celebrity Net Worth to determine the top 30 richest athletes, past and present, using their net worth estimates.
According to the publication, Chicago Bulls legend Jordan holds an eye-watering net worth of $2.2bn.
Read More:
Jordan is the principal owner and chairman of NBA team Charlotte Hornets, which he acquired in 2010, and has enjoyed lucrative partnerships with the likes of Nike on the Air Jordan brand.
MJ’s staggering net worth placed him well ahead of McMahon, who has a whopping $1.6bn net worth attached to his name.
McMahon’s value has been fuelled by the incredible success of running the WWE, but the wrestling promoter wasn’t afraid to make sporadic in-ring appearances.
The WWE CEO and chairman was a former WWE champion after he defeated Triple H in 1999 on an episode of SmackDown, with a major assist from Stone Cold Steve Austin.
Posted below are the 30 richest athletes in the world in 2022, according to Wealthy Gorilla.
30. Kimi Raikkonen (racing driver): $250m
29. Grant Hill (basketball): $250m
28. Gary Player (golf): $250m
27. Fernando Alonso (racing driver): $265m
26. Lewis Hamilton (racing driver): $285m
25. George Foreman (boxing): $300m
24. Dale Earnhardt Jr (racing driver): $300m
23. Alex Rodriguez (baseball): $350m
22. Vinnie Johnson (basketball): $400m
21. Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson (wrestling): $400m
20. Shaquille O'Neal (basketball): $400m
19. Phil Mickelson (golf): $400m
18. Jack Nicklaus (golf): $400m
17. Greg Norman (golf): $400m
16. Roger Federer (tennis): $450m
15. Floyd Mayweather (boxing): $450m
14. David Beckham (football): $450m
13. LeBron James (basketball): $500m
12. Cristiano Ronaldo (football): $500m
11. Roger Staubach (American football): $600m
10. Michael Schumacher (racing driver): $600m
9. Magic Johnson (basketball): $600m
8. Lionel Messi (football): $600m
7. Junior Bridgeman (basketball): $600m
6. Eddie Jordan (racing driver): $600m
5. Tiger Woods (golf): $800m
4. Anna Kasprzak (dressage rider): $1bn
3. Ion Tiriac (tennis and ice hockey): $1.2bn
2. Vince McMahon (wrestling): $1.6bn
1. Michael Jordan (basketball): $2.2bn
Topics: Michael Jordan, Vince Mcmahon, Tiger Woods, Lionel Messi, Michael Schumacher, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lebron James, David Beckham, Floyd Mayweather