Michael Jordan Is All-Time Highest-Paid Athlete, Tiger Woods and Cristiano Ronaldo Follow
Jordan leads a list of top-earning athletes with his total career earnings at $4.5 billion.
Images via Noren Trotman/NBAE via Getty Images, Adam Glanzman/TGL/TGL Golf via Getty Images, and Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images A new ranking of the highest-paid athletes in history puts Michael Jordan firmly at the top. According to data compiled by Sportico , Jordan leads all athletes with an estimated $4. 5 billion in inflation-adjusted career earnings.
Much of that total is tied to his long-standing partnership with Nike , which continues to generate revenue decades after his retirement. Tiger Woods ranks second on the list at $2. 88 billion, followed by global soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo at $2.
52 billion. Active NBA superstar LeBron James and Argentine icon Lionel Messi round out the top five. In total, the top 50 athletes have generated a combined $56.
2 billion in inflation-adjusted earnings, or roughly $40 billion in nominal earnings, through the end of 2025. COMPLEX SHOP: Shop the brands you love, anytime and anywhere. Uncover what's next.