Michael Jordan, Cristiano Ronaldo and Tiger Woods in top 20 highest-paid athletes of all-time adjusted for inflation

Michael Jordan, Cristiano Ronaldo and Tiger Woods feature in an inflation-adjusted list of the top 20 richest athletes of all-time.

All three men are considered as legends of their respective sports.

Jordan is a six-time NBA champion, while Ronaldo has won seven Ballon d'Or titles during his football career.

Woods, meanwhile, has won 82 titles on golf's PGA Tour, tying him for first place with Sam Snead. He has also won 15 majors, with 22 years spanning his first Masters success in 1997 and his most recent major in 2019.

Unsurprisingly, in a 2024 list from Sportico, all three rank highly when it comes to the richest athletes of all-time.

The list includes earnings from prize money, endorsements and sponsorship deals, meaning there are a number of American stars.

It is also adjusted for inflation to give the truest possible indication of who the richest athlete of all-time really is.

NBA stars make up six of the top 20, as well as six golfers, three football players, two boxers, two Formula 1 drivers and one tennis player.

Top 20 richest athletes of all-time

Here is the full top 20 list in descending order:

• 19) Mike Tyson (Boxing) - $965 million
• 18) Lewis Hamilton (F1) - $970 million
• 17) Kevin Durant (NBA) - $1.07 billion
• 16) Kobe Bryant (NBA) - $1.11 billion
• 15) Greg Norman (Golf) - $1.14 billion
• 14) Neymar (Football) - $1.17 billion
• 13) Shaquille O'Neal (NBA) - $1.27 billion
• 12) Michael Schumacher (F1) - $1.39 billion
• 11) Phil Mickelson (Golf) - $1.49 billion
• 10) Floyd Mayweather Jr (Boxing) - $1.52 billion
• 9) Roger Federer (Tennis) - $1.59 billion
• 8) David Beckham (Football) - $1.61 billion
• 7) Jack Nicklaus (Golf) - $1.75 billion
• 6) Arnold Palmer (Golf) - $1.82 billion
• 5) Lionel Messi (Football) - $1.85 billion
• 4) LeBron James (NBA) - $1.88 billion
• 3) Cristiano Ronaldo (Football) - $2.23 billion
• 2) Tiger Woods (Golf) - $2.79 billion
• 1) Michael Jordan (NBA) - $4.15 billion

A host of other sports are represented further down the list, with NFL icon Tom Brady ($820 million) narrowly missing out on a spot in the top 20 in 21st position.

Major League Baseball's Alex Rodriguez ($795m) is in 22nd place, with NASCAR legend Jeff Gordon ($730m) in joint-27th alongside boxing's Canelo Alvarez and George Foreman.

The only other sport to feature in the top 50 is MotoGP, with seven-time champion Valentino Rossi - who transcended his sport - placing in 30th on $725 million.