Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: Michael Jordan, NBA, Basketball, Tiger Woods, Lebron James, United States, Golf, Net Worth
Ryan Smart
Topics: Michael Jordan, NBA, Basketball, Tiger Woods, Lebron James, United States, Golf, Net Worth
Michael Jordan has an astonishing net worth compiled through his successful NBA career and post-retirement portfolio - but how does it compare to fellow sporting greats Tiger Woods and LeBron James?
Jordan is considered as the greatest basketball player of all-time, winning six NBA Championships and being named as the NBA Finals MVP on six occasions.
He spent the vast majority of his NBA career as part of the infamous Chicago Bulls dynasty across two spells, and was enticed out of retirement for a brief stint with the Washington Wizards between 2001 and 2003.
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Jordan signed a huge contract with Nike after his rookie season in NBA, and smashed all four of the clauses contained within it to keep the contract going. He only needed to achieve one of them.
He came up with the idea to produce the 'Air Jordan' shoe alongside Nike in 1984, which has retained its incredible popularity even today.
Jordan has been a spokesperson for several leading brands including Coca-Cola, McDonald's and Gatorade, and played a leading role in the 1996 hit action/animation film Space Jam.
As per Forbes, the basketball legend earns $40 million from endorsements each year, and has done so since 2008.
He also gained a significant profit from the Charlotte Hornets NBA team. He spent $175 million to buy the team in 2010, before selling it for a cool $3 billion in 2023.
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Overall, the 61-year-old has a net worth of $3.2 billion, placing him in third place in Forbes' Celebrity Billionaire List for 2024.
Golf legend Woods, meanwhile, is the first athlete ever to become a billionaire while still active.
The 48-year-old has won an astonishing 82 PGA Tour majors during his career - tying him for first place alongside Sam Sneed.
Although Woods dominated the sport throughout the late 1900s and much of the 2010s, his finest major win is perhaps his most recent.
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In 2019, the 43-year-old - who has seen his career plagued by a multitude of back injuries and surgeries over the years prior - entered the final round of the 2019 Masters with a two-shot deficit, but finished one stroke ahead of Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Xander Schauffele to win an emotional first major in 11 years.
Woods' net worth, according to Forbes, stands at $1.4 billion.
That leaves NBA icon James, who has a net worth of $1.2 billion.
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As well as his basketball career, James has made a series of shrewd investments in the business and entertainment industry.
He owns his own company, titled SpringHill.
In recent years, that has meant the 39-year-old has branced out into sports, and he holds a stake in the owners of Liverpool and the Boston Red Sox, Fenway Sports Group.
James is still, of course, an active player, and was part of the United States team that won a record-extending seventh consecutive gold medal at the men's Olympic tournament.