But in terms of net worth, again, only three athletes have made it to the billionaires club. They are LeBron James, Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods.
Lionel Messi, $1.15 billion
Photo by Antonio Borga. He is among the all-time active athletes who are billionaires. His sources of wealth are listed as football contracts, endorsement deals, and investments.
Lionel Messi, Paris Saint-German – $75 million
Lebron James, Paul George, Russell Westbrook, and Kawi Leonard are set to make $163.9 million combined in the 2022-2023 season. If you add in Rams quarterback, Matthew Stafford, $203.9 million will be going out to five athletes in LA over the next year.
According to Forbes, Los Angeles Clippers owner, Steve Ballmer, who has a net worth of $83 billion is the richest sports team owner in 2022. Rob Walton, who recently bought the Denver Broncos, came in at no. 2 with an estimated net worth of $56.7 billion. His purchasing power was nearly impossible to match.
Soccer's two biggest names took pay cuts as they switched clubs this season, but a boost from their sponsors keeps them at the front of the pack, with Paris Saint-Germain's Lionel Messi landing at No. 1 for the second time with $130 million and Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo sliding in at No. 3 with $115 million ...
Over a billion dollars to just 10 stars: Highest-paid athletes of 2022 revealed. Lionel Messi was the highest-paid sports star in 2022 – pipping LeBron James to top spot. The World Cup winner is one of three footballers to make the Forbes top ten list, alongside PSG teammate Neymar and rival Cristiano Ronaldo.
But in terms of net worth, again, only three athletes have made it to the billionaires club. They are LeBron James, Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods. Exclusive company.
For the third straight year, Naomi Osaka tops Forbes' annual list of the World's highest-paid female athletes. Osaka leads a pack of seven players who placed inside the list's Top 10, including Serena Williams, Emma Raducanu, Iga Swiatek, Venus Williams, Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula.
This announcement comes eight days after LeBron James joined Michael Jordan as the second billionaire athlete.
Basketball
It is not surprising that basketball is the world's highest paid sport. As well as earning millions per year in salary, the NBA's best basketball players earn a huge amount of money from their various endorsements and sponsorships, more so than any other sport.
Tiger Woods now has an estimated net worth of at least $1 billion, according to Forbes. He joins LeBron James and Michael Jordan as the only athletes to reach the mark.
Messi first became the world's highest-paid athlete on Forbes' list in 2019. He topped the list again in 2022 with total earnings of USD 130 million. The Argentine is one of the six billionaire athletes in the world today, with Forbes valuing the total earnings in his career at USD 1.15 billion.
Serena Williams
Most of her earnings come from HUED, Cloud9, Esusu, and more investments.
But like all athlete superstars, most of his astounding wealth has been accumulated through endorsement deals including Nike and Coca-Cola. His reported net worth now is north of one billion, Lebron and Tiger Woods are the only two athletes to achieve billionaire status while still playing their sport.
According to the magazine's calculations, Woods went into the 2009 season on 895 million dollars which included prize money, endorsements, appearance fees as well as money earned through his golf course design business.
Cristiano Ronaldo is the most widely followed athlete in the world. The Portuguese icon has won five Ballon d'Or awards. While the Lionel Messi-Ronaldo debate over who the GOAT of football might be might never end, there is no doubt over who the most popular one is. Ronaldo is the most followed individual on Instagram.
Stephen Curry
During the 2021 offseason, Curry signed a four-year, $215 million pact to stay in Golden State. He's due $48.1 million this season, with a peak annual value of $59.6 million to come during the 2025-26 campaign.
1. Lionel Messi (PSG)
Michael Jordan's net worth is estimated to be $2.2 billion in 2022, making him the richest athlete in the world.