Top 10 highest-paid athletes of all-time adjusted for inflation including Michael Jordan and Cristiano Ronaldo

The ranking of the top 10 highest-paid athletes of all-time includes the usual suspects, but how much would they have earned today with inflation taken into account?

Sportico have revealed exactly how much the top 50 highest-earning athletes of all time have earned, with their income adjusted to inflation.

The top 50 have taken home a staggering combined $50 billion when adjusted for inflation through the end of 2023, including earnings during their playing careers and in retirement.

The earnings shared in the rankings include salaries, bonuses, prize money, purses, endorsements, licensing, royalties, memorabilia, book deals, media, appearance fees and golf course design fees.

The earnings quoted are pre-tax, and in the cases of Arnold Palmer and Kobe Bryant, the earnings were calculated up until time of death.

It will come as a surprise to absolutely nobody that NBA legend Michael Jordan tops the rankings both with and without inflation.

The former Chicago Bulls star earned $2.7billion - adjusted to $3.75 billion - up until the end of 2023, with most of that coming from his long-standing partnership with Nike.

Jordan is one of 12 basketball stars to make the top 50, although he and LeBron James were the only ones to make the top 10.

Cristiano Ronaldo comes in at number three with adjusted earnings of $1.92bn (up from $1.57bn). The Portugal and Al-Nassr star was the highest paid active athlete in the world in 2023, earning $275m.

Apart from Ronaldo, Argentine great Lionel Messi and England legend David Beckham were also included in the top ten.

Sportico

TD Cowen managing director John Kernan said: “Nike has a near monopoly on the global basketball business with no real competitors at scale, but there is a path to much higher revenue for the Jordan Brand.

“There is a lot of design talent dedicated to Jordan, and it is a business that if you look across the world, there is still a fair amount of real potential.”