Thanks to Saudi Arabia’s bottomless well of petrodollars, LIV Golf has boosted the earnings of the top ten golfers by an estimated $370 million since June, bringing their combined haul to a record $650 million over the last 12 months.



<abbr>T</abbr>he breakaway&nbsp;LIV Golf tour, which is owned by Saudi Arabia’s $620 billion (assets) sovereign wealth fund, is many things. It’s faster than the PGA Tour, with a 54-hole (“LIV” in Roman numerals) format played over three days. It’s louder, with music blaring before tee-off. It’s less frequent, with one-sixth as many events. But mostly it’s richer. LIV Golf is about money. Piles and piles of it.



The government of Saudi Arabia is pumping an estimated $2.4 billion into LIV over the next couple of seasons to get the league off the ground, a big chunk of which is to lure top talent. In total, LIV has boosted the earnings of the ten highest-paid golfers by an estimated $370 million since May, bringing their combined haul to a record $650 million.



“I wanted to be a part of something from the ground up,” says Bryson DeChambeau, who won the U.S. Open in 2020 as a 27-year-old and joined LIV in June. “The resources, the time, the rest and then the enjoyment factor were why I was able to make that jump and wanted to make that jump.”



The downside? No more PGA Tour, no more Players Championships and no more international competition in the Ryder Cup. Like all other PGA Tour defectors, DeChambeau had his membership suspended. But the Saudi-backed golfers should still be able to compete in the Masters and golf’s three other majors, none of which are run by the PGA Tour.



Sure. But it probably helps that he’s likely getting north of $125 million as a guarantee from LIV, half of which Forbes estimates he received upfront. That $62 million payment has propelled DeChambeau to No. 3 among the world’s highest-paid golfers, with total pretax earnings of $86 million over the past 12 months—and ranks him as the 11th-highest-paid athlete on the planet, ahead of Tom Brady.



Two-time major winner Dustin Johnson, who finished tied for sixth at the British Open at St. Andrews this month, did even better than DeChambeau. The 38-year-old pro from South Carolina, who is married to Wayne Gretzky’s daughter Paulina, pocketed $97 million in the last year, including an estimated $62 million signing bonus from LIV in May. The Saudi money makes Johnson the fifth-highest-paid athlete in the world. It was an easy choice, he says: “Play less golf, play for more money—it just made sense.”



The biggest winner of all? Phil Mickelson. With six majors and 45 PGA Tour wins under his belt, the second-most-accomplished golfer of his generation was one of the first to voice support for the new tour. Back in February, he was vilified (and took a subsequent break from playing) after seeming to dismiss Saudi Arabia’s human-rights record in exchange for a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape how the PGA Tour operates.” Several sponsors dropped him. But what does he care? LIV more than made up for it, guaranteeing Mickelson an estimated $200 million, half of which he likely got upfront. In all, the 52-year-old pulled in $138 million in the past year, making him the world’s highest-paid athlete in 2022, edging out soccer superstar Lionel Messi (<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/brettknight/2022/05/11/the-worlds-10-highest-paid-athletes-2022/">$130 million</a>).



There are risks. LIV Golf has no major U.S. broadcast partner and barely any event sponsors. The LIV-curious are forced to watch on YouTube. And the tour is incinerating cash. There are limited revenues, and in addition to the enormous signing bonuses and multimillion-dollar-per-event production budgets, LIV has guaranteed $255 million in prize money for 2022. In 2023, that will expand to $405 million for 14 events. “Just like any startup, you’ve got a burn rate, and whether it was, heck, Amazon or Uber or whatever, they’re all burning certain cash up until they reach the point of profitability,” says LIV Golf president and former Tampa Bay Buccaneers executive Atul Khosla.



The PGA Tour isn’t sitting still. In June, it raised the prize purses of eight tournaments by a collective $53.8 million, with the Players Championship rising to $25 million. On the flip side, the PGA Tour’s hard line against giving its members permission to participate in LIV events has triggered a Department of Justice antitrust investigation.



One golfer who refuses to play LIV’s game: Tiger Woods. LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman, known as the Great White Shark during his Hall of Fame playing career, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/06/05/last-attack-greg-norman/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">told the Washington Post</a> that Woods rejected a “mind-blowingly enormous” offer in the “high nine digits” from LIV. That decision knocked Woods, who was once the world’s highest-paid athlete ten years running, into unfamiliar territory—he’s now just fifth among the highest-paid golfers, with total earnings of $68 million. He has no regrets. “I just don’t understand it,” he said ahead of the British Open. “I just don’t see how that move is positive in the long term for a lot of these players.”



<h4 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">#1.&nbsp;$138 mil</h4>



<h2 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">PHIL MICKELSON</h2>



<h4 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">AGE: 52 | ON-COURSE: $102 mil • OFF-COURSE: $36 mil</h4>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="594" height="396" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/GettyImages-1411839172.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-55789" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/GettyImages-1411839172.jpg 594w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/GettyImages-1411839172-300x200.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 594px) 100vw, 594px" /><figcaption> (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/LIV Golf via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



Lefty crossed <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/mattcraig/2022/06/12/billion-dollar-ballers-these-athletes-tiger-woods-lebron-james-federer-messi-ronaldo-mayweather-have-earned-more-than-1-billion-apiece/">$1 billion in career earnings</a> thanks to his LIV deal. One of only a handful of players (including Tiger Woods, Dustin Johnson, Vijay Singh and Tom Watson) to earn a lifetime membership on the PGA Tour, Mickelson had that privilege suspended after he joined LIV.



<h4 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">#2.&nbsp;$97 mil</h4>



<h2 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">DUSTIN JOHNSON</h2>



<h4 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">AGE: 38 | ON-COURSE: $68 mil • OFF-COURSE: $29 mil</h4>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-full is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/GettyImages-1411889458.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-55790" width="469" height="302" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/GettyImages-1411889458.jpg 594w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/GettyImages-1411889458-300x193.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 469px) 100vw, 469px" /><figcaption>(Photo by Charles Laberge/LIV Golf via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



Now ranked No. 17 in the world, Johnson was the first star to jump to LIV in May, for an estimated $125 million. He cashed out his stake in Bodyarmor for an undisclosed sum in November. Sponsors Adidas and TaylorMade have stuck with him after he resigned from the PGA Tour.



<h4 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">#3.&nbsp;$86 mil</h4>



<h2 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">BRYSON DECHAMBEAU</h2>



<h4 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">AGE:28 | ON-COURSE: $66 mil • OFF-COURSE: $20 mil</h4>



DeChambeau earned $560,000 from his first LIV event in July, nearly triple what he had earned in his seven prior tournaments in 2022.



<h4 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">#4.&nbsp;$69 mil</h4>



<h2 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">BROOKS KOEPKA</h2>



<h4 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">AGE: 32 | ON-COURSE: $53 mil • OFF-COURSE: $16 mil</h4>



Koepka, who has won four majors and nurtures a fierce rivalry with DeChambeau, secured an estimated $100 million guarantee from LIV.



<h4 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">#5.&nbsp;$68 mil</h4>



<h2 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">TIGER WOODS</h2>



<h4 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">AGE: 46 | ON-COURSE: $43,500 • OFF-COURSE: $68 mil</h4>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-full is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/gettyimages-1142682752-594x594.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-40860" width="524" height="349" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/gettyimages-1142682752-594x594.jpg 594w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/gettyimages-1142682752-594x594-300x200.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 524px) 100vw, 524px" /><figcaption> (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/mattcraig/2022/06/10/tiger-woods-officially-a-billionaire-no-thanks-to-the-saudis/">Golf’s only billionaire</a>, Woods has no need for Saudi money.



<h4 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">#6.&nbsp;$43 mil</h4>



<h2 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">RORY MCILROY</h2>



<h4 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">AGE: 33 | ON-COURSE: $9 mil • OFF-COURSE: $34 mil</h4>



McIlroy has been vocal in his support of the PGA Tour, <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/golf/news/rory-mcilroy-talks-maintaining-his-love-for-golf-st-andrews-tiger-woods-and-his-softened-liv-golf-stance/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">telling CBS</a> “there’s no room in the golf world for LIV Golf.” It may be paying off. Workday agreed to sponsor the Northern Irishman in February, the same month the software company announced it would not renew its deal with Mickelson.



<h4 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">#7.&nbsp;$42 mil</h4>



<h2 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">SERGIO GARCIA</h2>



<h4 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">AGE: 42 | ON-COURSE: $35 mil • OFF-COURSE: $7 mil</h4>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-full is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/GettyImages-1411845124.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-55791" width="652" height="354" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/GettyImages-1411845124.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/GettyImages-1411845124-300x163.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 652px) 100vw, 652px" /><figcaption>(Photo by Charles Laberge/LIV Golf via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



The Spaniard, the 2017 Masters champion, was part of the first wave to join the upstart Saudi tour.



<h4 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">#8.&nbsp;$39 mil</h4>



<h2 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">JORDAN SPIETH</h2>



<h4 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">AGE: 29 | ON-COURSE: $8 mil • OFF-COURSE: $31 mil</h4>



The former world No. 1 reasserted his loyalty to the PGA Tour in July, saying, “Any reports that I am contemplating competing anywhere other than the PGA Tour are categorically untrue.” After signing a new deal, he will remain the face of Under Armour’s golf business through 2029.



<h4 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">#9.&nbsp;$37 mil</h4>



<h2 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">PATRICK REED</h2>



<h4 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">AGE: 31 | ON-COURSE: $34 mil • OFF-COURSE: $3 mil</h4>



Reed starred for years in the Ryder Cup, earning him the nickname “Captain America.” Now ineligible for the biennial Europe vs. United States contest, he’s flying a new flag: The 31-year-old wore the LIV Golf logo on his hat, collar and sleeve at the British Open.



<h4 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">#10.&nbsp;$34 mil</h4>



<h2 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">CHARL SCHWARTZEL</h2>



<h4 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">AGE: 37 | ON-COURSE: $30 mil • OFF-COURSE: $4 mil</h4>



In 2011, Schwartzel won $1.4 million in prize money at the Masters, his first and only major championship win. The South African’s victory at LIV’s inaugural London event in June landed him more than triple that sum.



METHODOLOGY: This year’s list of the world’s highest-paid golfers tracks earnings between July 3, 2021, and July 3, 2022, to coincide with the completion of the PGA Tour’s John Deere Classic and LIV Golf’s Portland Invitational. The on-course earnings figures include prize money and bonuses, as well as upfront payments for signing on with LIV Golf. Based on conversations with a dozen industry sources, Forbes estimates top-tier LIV players received half of their guarantees upfront while lower-tier players received smaller sums in bulk. The off-course earnings figures are an estimate of sponsorship deals, appearance fees and memorabilia and licensing income for the 12 months leading to July 3, 2022, plus cash returns from any businesses in which the athlete has a significant interest. Bonuses from the PGA Tour’s Player Impact Program are included in off-course income. Forbes does not include investment income such as interest payments or dividends but does account for payouts from equity stakes athletes have sold. Forbes does not deduct for taxes or agents’ fees.



By Justin Birnbaum, Forbes Staff Additional reporting by Brett Knight.

Male golfer putting on golf course

The World’s Highest-Paid Golfers 2022: LIV Golf Reshuffles Top Earners And Sends Pay Soaring

Miami Open 2019 – Day 3

The Highest-Paid Tennis Players 2020: They Are Barely Playing, But The Top 10 Pros Still Earned $340 Million

Roger Federer has landed the top spot on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/athletes/">the annual&nbsp;Forbes&nbsp;list of the highest-paid athletes</a>&nbsp;for the first time this year with $106.3 million in pre-tax earnings. The Swiss ace is the first tennis player to take the No. 1 rank since the list debuted in 1990.



Federer’s haul includes $6.3 million in prize money and $100 million from endorsements and appearance fees, lifting him from the No. 5 spot he held in 2019 and beating his previous high of second place in 2013.



“His brand is pristine,” says David Carter, a sports business professor at USC’s Marshall School of Business, “which is why those that can afford to align with him clamor to do so.”



Federer’s endorsement portfolio is unmatched among active athletes, with 13 brands including Barilla, Moet &amp; Chandon and Rimowa paying between $3 million and $30 million to associate themselves with the 20-time Grand Slam champ. The 38-year-old and golfer Tiger Woods are the only two active athletes to have hit $100 million in a single year from sponsorships alone.



Federer’s on-court résumé is the stuff of legend, with the men’s records for most Slam titles and most weeks ranked No. 1 (310). The consistency is staggering. He ranked in the top three for 750 straight weeks—almost 15 years—and qualified for 18 out of 19 Slam finals between 2005 and 2010.



Call it the Jordan playbook, the blueprint for global domination chronicled in ESPN’s ten-part documentary on the basketball great, The Last Dance: command a sport with a global audience for years; appeal to both men and women; stay out of trouble; add in a dose of swagger and a dash of charisma. It made Michael Jordan the <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2020/04/17/the-inside-story-of-how-michael-jordan-became-the-worlds-richest-athlete/">richest athlete on the planet</a> and the first billionaire athlete. Even in retirement, he continues to <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2020/05/03/michael-jordans-1-billion-nike-endorsement-is-the-biggest-bargain-in-sports/">collect endorsement checks</a> rivaling those of Federer and Woods thanks to <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2019/08/28/the-nbas-richest-shoe-deals-lebron-kobe-and-durant-are-still-no-match-for-michael-jordan/">his massive cut of Nike Jordan Brand sneaker sales</a>.



The three breathe a rarefied air, reserved for the most elite competitors. Jordan had the No. 1 spot on the&nbsp;Forbes&nbsp;list six times during his 13-year career with the Chicago Bulls, eventually giving up the mantle to Woods after he retired from the Bulls in 1998. (Formula One’s Michael Schumacher held the crown for two years between Woods and Jordan.) Woods went on to collect more than $100 million annually off the course at his peak, landing at the top of&nbsp;Forbes’ highest-paid athlete ranking a record 12 times until he broke stride, landing in hot water over an infidelity scandal while injuries contributed to a decade-long majors title drought on the links.



Federer, while seizing the top spot late in his career, is showing no signs of slowing down. His latest partnership is with Swiss startup running shoe On, whose headquarters sit close to the new home the tennis star is building on Lake Zurich. A renowned sneakerhead, Federer will endorse the brand, whose sales have been <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.oregonlive.com/business/2020/01/on-the-fastest-growing-sneaker-company-youve-never-heard-of.html" target="_blank">doubling annually since its 2010 launch</a>, and also invested in the company in return for an equity stake that one source called “significant,” a partnership that could have serious upside for Federer.



Another sign of his command of the off-court side hustle: Once companies align themselves with him, they almost never leave. Rolex, Credit Suisse, Mercedes-Benz and Wilson have all been on Team Fed for more than a decade. The exception? Jordan’s Nike.



Federer stunned the tennis world in 2018 when he split from the sneaker giant after 20 years and joined with apparel brand Uniqlo. The chain, part of Fast Retailing, made an offer he couldn’t turn down, promising $300 million over ten years whether he was playing tennis or not and leaving open a slot for a shoe deal like the one with On since the Japanese giant doesn’t make sneakers.



The length and terms of the deal raised eyebrows given that Federer was about to turn 37 when he signed it. At that age, almost all tennis players have long since retired—a detail that meant little to the long game the retailer is eyeing.



“We feel the greatest impact of Roger Federer is yet to come,” says Uniqlo’s head of global creative John Jay. “Of course, it will be fueled by his status as the greatest of all time, but Roger’s ability to bring positive change to the world is his future and ours.”



The company hopes Federer can hold the same kind of appeal Jordan still has long after he launched his last jump shot. Already, tennis clubs in Europe are flooded with kids wearing “RF” hats, the logo that Nike controlled for two years after the split but is back in Federer’s hands and is the foundation for future licensing deals.



It wasn’t his only shrewd move. Federer took more control of his brand when he left the IMG sports firm with longtime agent Tony Godsick to launch their own operation in 2013, dubbed TEAM8. Current clients include male tennis pros Juan Martin del Potro and Alexander Zverev, 16-year-old rising star Coco Gauff and New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist. TEAM8 also found success with the creation of a new annual event, the Laver Cup, which matches a team from Europe versus the rest of the world in a competition that is comparable to golf’s Ryder Cup.



Federer has other levers in the sport that even Jordan doesn’t have. He is a hot commodity for organizers of smaller tournaments that pay appearance fees for top players to show up; a men’s event without one of the Big Three—Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic—is a tough sell. Federer commands the top rate of more than $1 million per stop. Then there are the exhibition tours—a mix of tennis and show business—in places that have no major event to offer. He did a five-stop swing through Latin America in November that added more than $15 million to his bank account, including a match versus Zverev in a bullfighting stadium in Mexico City that attracted 42,517 fans, a record to watch a tennis match.



Federer has used his platform and cash to focus on educating children in Africa, with his namesake foundation spending $52 million to aid 1.5 million kids. He’s teamed with Bill Gates in charity matches three times; the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/tracywang/2020/02/04/bill-gates-doubles-up-with-tennis-legend-roger-federer-for-much-anticipated-charity-match-in-south-africa/#5a2c77e41b92">latest “Match for Africa”</a>&nbsp;featured Gates and Federer versus Nadal and&nbsp;The Daily Show&nbsp;host Trevor Noah in South Africa, where Federer’s mother was born. The February event raised $3.7 million.



Federer is the GOAT, both on and off the court.



&#8211;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/">Kurt Badenhausen</a>, Forbes Staff, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sportsmoney">SportsMoney</a>

gettyimages-1199253351-594×594

Roger Federer Tops World’s Highest-Paid Athletes: Tennis Ace Scores First No. 1 Payday With $106 Million

The NBA is flush with cash right now thanks to its $24 billion TV deal with ESPN and TNT, as well as its global opportunities. Players are sharing in the riches, with 29 current NBAers in the middle of contracts worth at least $94 million in deals that range from three years in the case of LeBron James to five years for most of the 28 others, according to <a href="http://www.spotrac.com/nba/rankings/contract-value/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">data from Spotrac</a>. The significance of $94 million: It is more than the career earnings from playing salary of the sport&#8217;s greatest player, Michael Jordan, who earned $93.8 million with the Chicago Bulls and the Washington Wizards.
But don&#8217;t shed a tear for MJ. Sure, he made more than $4 million during only two of his 15 seasons in the NBA (Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf also paid Jordan his $4 million salary during the full season he took off to play baseball). Yet Jordan elevated athlete endorsements to an entirely new level, which has continued long after he hung up his high-tops for good in 2003. The result: Jordan is the highest-paid athlete of all time at $1.85 billion in 2017 dollars (the tally is $1.5 billion in current dollars).
Jordan has partnered with dozens of brands since he turned pro in 1984, including Gatorade, Hanes, MCI, Oakley, Upper Deck, Wheaties and more. His biggest backer has always been Nike, which signed Jordan ahead of his rookie year to a five-year deal worth $2.5 million, plus royalties. The Jordan Brand exploded for Nike and is now a $3.1 billion global business with revenue up 13% over last year and $800 million from two years ago. Jordan&#8217;s estimated cut of the business is $140 million this year.
Jordan showed the path to a fortune built on endorsement earnings that has since been followed by Tiger Woods, who ranks second at $1.7 billion. Like Jordan, Woods reached the pinnacle of his sport while shying away from any controversy, making him a marketing darling for sponsors like Accenture, American Express, EA Sports, General Motors and Nike.
<a href="http://www.forbesafrica.com/sport/2017/08/15/serena-williams-heads-highest-paid-female-athletes-2017/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">READ MORE: Serena Williams Heads The Highest-Paid Female Athletes 2017</a>
Woods banked $600 million (adjusted for inflation) between 2006 and 2010, with endorsements and appearance fees fueling most of the earnings. The image of Woods as the perfect pitchman came crashing down on a Thanksgiving night eight years ago, but he remains the top draw in golf when healthy. His earnings are off 68% from their peak but still rank among the highest in golf.
Forbes&#8216; earnings estimates include salaries, bonuses, prize money, endorsements and licensing, as well as fees from books, golf course designs and appearances. Earnings cover from the time the athletes turned pro through June 1, 2017, and include money earned after playing careers were over, as well as earnings by the estate in the case of Arnold Palmer. We do not include investment income, and we back-filled years where we did not publish earnings figures, such as prior to 1990 for Palmer and Jack Nicklaus. We adjusted all figures for inflation.
The 25 highest-paid athletes of all time played a mix of eight sports, with golf, basketball and boxing landing five entries each. The top 25 have earned a cumulative $19.4 billion since turning pro ($15.9 billion without adjusting for inflation).
<a href="http://www.forbesafrica.com/sport/2017/06/09/ronaldo-lebron-top-worlds-highest-paid-athletes-2017/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">READ MORE: Ronaldo, Le Bron Top World&#8217;s Highest-Paid Athletes Of 2017 </a>
From branding it like Beckham to the Golden Bear’s Midas touch, these sports legends are so money when it comes to career earnings and endorsement deals.
<h3>The Highest-Paid Athletes of All-Time</h3>
1. Michael Jordan
Career earnings: $1.85 billion (2017 dollars)
Jordan still maintains his longtime endorsement relationships with Gatorade, Hanes, Nike and Upper Deck, but the investment that made him a billionaire was the $175 million fire-sale price he got the Charlotte Bobcats (now the Hornets) for in 2010. Jordan bumped his Hornets stake to 90% in 2013, and the team is now worth $780 million.
2. Tiger Woods
<div id="attachment_34818" style="width: 415px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-34818" class=" wp-image-34818" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Tiger-Woods-e1513240484211-300x180.jpg" alt="Tiger Woods" width="405" height="243" />Tiger Woods during the Hero World Challenge at Albany, Bahamas in Nassau, Bahamas. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)</div>
Career earnings: $1.7 billion
The 14-time major winner has played only 18 official PGA Tour events since the start of 2014 because of injuries (he&#8217;s missed the cut or withdrawn from half of them). Sponsors still see value in partnering with Woods, with TaylorMade, Bridgestone and Monster Energy the most recent additions to his endorsement portfolio.
3. Arnold Palmer
Career earnings: $1.4 billion
Palmer died in September 2016, but his estate still <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2017/10/30/how-arnold-palmer-still-earns-40-million-annually-after-his-death/#4e4005850ffa" target="_blank" rel="noopener">banked $40 million</a> during the last 12 months. More than 400 stores sell Arnold Palmer-branded apparel in Asia, with plans to move into new markets like Thailand and Vietnam. His estate has agreements with 39 licensees. The partnership between IMG founder Mark McCormack and his first client, Palmer, revolutionized sports marketing.
4. Jack Nicklaus
Career earnings: $1.2 billion
Nicklaus&#8217; course design company is responsible for 410 courses in 41 countries, with the 18-time major winner involved in three-quarters of the projects. In addition to course design, the Nicklaus business empire includes real estate, wine, ice cream, drinkware, golf academies, lemonade and more.
5. Michael Schumacher
Career earnings: $1 billion
The health of Schumacher, 47, has been precarious since a 2013 skiing accident in the Alps left him in a coma. The F1 titan dominated his sport while racking up seven titles and is one of only six athletes to top the FORBES highest-paid athletes list since 1990.
6. Phil Mickelson
Career earnings: $815 million
Mickelson pitches for Amgen, ExxonMobil, KPMG, Rolex, Grayhawk and the Greenbrier, as well as two new partners in Intrepid Financial Partners and Workday. His $84 million in career prize money ranks second all-time. Coming in second to Tiger has been plenty lucrative for Lefty, who finally outearned his rival in 2015, for the first time since Woods turned pro in 1996.
7. (tie) Kobe Bryant
Career earnings: $800 million
Bryant&#8217;s earnings during his playing career were <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2015/11/30/kobe-bryant-will-retire-with-record-680-million-in-career-earnings/#3cfbd75c217c" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tops all time among team athletes</a>, and he had the highest NBA salary the final six seasons of his career. The Black Mamba is attacking retirement the way he did opposing guards during his 20-year NBA career. He launched Kobe Inc. and a venture capital firm, Bryant Stibel, with $100 million in funding.
7. (tie) David Beckham
Career earnings: $800 million
Beckham&#8217;s most lucrative years have come in retirement thanks to royalty deals with Diageo, to launch a new single-grain Scotch whisky called Haig Club, and Global Brands Group, to create Beckham-branded consumer products. Beckham is inching closer to bringing an MLS expansion team to Miami, which he got the rights to at the bargain-basement price of $25 million.
9. Floyd Mayweather
<div id="attachment_32912" style="width: 410px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-32912" class=" wp-image-32912" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Mayweather-v-McGregor-e1500973503764-300x219.jpg" alt="Floyd Mayweather Jr. v Conor McGregor" width="400" height="292" />Dana White splits Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor apart during the World Press Tour at SSE Arena on July 14, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)</div>
Career earnings: $785 million
Our earnings figure for Mayweather does not include his monster payday for his August bout against Conor McGregor (our scoring period ended June 1). His McGregor paycheck makes Mayweather just the <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2017/08/26/how-floyd-mayweather-became-boxings-1-billion-man/#76042d3f7d5a" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sixth athlete ever</a> with earnings of $1 billion.
10. Shaquille O&#8217;Neal
Career earnings: $735 million
O&#8217;Neal sold a stake in the business of Shaq last year to Authentic Brands Group, which got the rights to roughly half of O&#8217;Neal&#8217;s future licensing and endorsement revenue in return for a lump sum payment. Shaq’s low-cost sneaker line has sold more than 120 million pairs during his career.
11. LeBron James
Career earnings: $730 million
The NBA&#8217;s top pitchman added Intel and Verizon this year to his endorsement portfolio, which already included Nike, Coca-Cola, Beats by Dre and Kia Motor. King James owns a stake in 17 Blaze Pizzas, the <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2017/07/11/lebron-james-backed-blaze-pizza-is-fastest-growing-restaurant-chain-ever/#4ba2258152b2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fastest-growing food-service business</a> of all-time.
12. Cristiano Ronaldo
<div id="attachment_34819" style="width: 411px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-34819" class=" wp-image-34819" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Cristiano-Ronaldo-e1513240861323-300x199.jpg" alt="Cristiano Ronaldo" width="401" height="266" />Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid during the La Liga match against Sevilla at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Power Sport Images/Getty Images)</div>
Career earnings: $725 million
Ronaldo is rising up the charts as the <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2017/06/07/ronaldo-lebron-top-the-worlds-highest-paid-athletes-of-2017/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">highest-paid athlete</a> in the world the past two years, including $93 million in the 12 months ending in June. His <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2016/11/07/worlds-highest-paid-athlete-cristiano-ronaldo-signs-new-real-madrid-contract/#7c9525b2688f" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Real Madrid contract extension</a> will push the earnings for soccer&#8217;s reigning player of the year even higher.
13. Greg Norman
Career earnings: $705 million
Like Shaquille O&#8217;Neal and Muhammad Ali before him, Norman sold his future licensing rights to Authentic Brands Group in March. Norman&#8217;s company retains control of his real estate, investments and course design operations, but ABG will work on his other business interests in apparel, accessories, steak and wine.
14. Mike Tyson
Career earnings: $700 million
The youngest heavyweight champion in the history of boxing squandered $400 million in earnings (not adjusted for inflation) before filing for bankruptcy in 2003. Tyson has reinvented himself at 51 as an actor and with business partnerships around gaming, motorcycles and fitness centers.
15. Roger Federer
<div id="attachment_34820" style="width: 410px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-34820" class=" wp-image-34820" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Roger-Federer-e1513241162828-300x207.jpg" alt="Roger Federer" width="400" height="276" />Roger Federer of Switzerland celebrates after beating Marin Cilic of Croatia during the ATP World Tour Finals at The O2 Arena, London. (Photo by Kieran Galvin/NurPhoto via Getty Images)</div>
Career earnings: $675 million
Federer recently re-took the crown for highest career prize money on the ATP Tour with his resurgent year on the court in 2017. His $111.9 million tally surpasses the total of Novak Djokovic ($109.8 million), as well as that of Tiger Woods, who sits at $110 million in prize money on the PGA Tour.
16. Lionel Messi
Career earnings: $600 million
Messi has been at Barcelona since age 13, and his contract extension last month will keep him at Camp Nou through the 2020-21 season. The buyout clause for Barcelona&#8217;s all-time leading scorer doubled under the new deal to $835 million.
17. Alex Rodriguez
Career earnings: $575 million
A-Rod signed two of the three biggest contracts in the history of baseball during his 22-year career and was paid $20 million by the Yankees in 2017 despite retiring last year. He has been busy in retirement as a Fox Sports analyst and a host for an upcoming CNBC reality show, in addition to his high-profile relationship with Jennifer Lopez.
18. Jeff Gordon
Career earnings: $525 million
Gordon won 93 races during his Nascar career, the modern-day record. He owns a stake in Jimmie Johnson&#8217;s No. 48 car and could be in line for a larger ownership role at Hendrick Motorsports.
19. Oscar De La Hoya
Career earnings: $520 million
The Golden Boy&#8217;s 2007 fight with Floyd Mayweather was the biggest bout in pay-per-view history, with 2.5 million buys, until Mayweather faced Manny Pacquiao. De La Hoya earned a then-record $52 million because he served as the fight&#8217;s promoter through his company Golden Boy Promotions, which he founded in 2002.
20. Manny Pacquiao
Career earnings: $510 million
Pacquiao&#8217;s pay-per-view career includes 18.6 million buys and gross revenue of $1.2 billion. The Filipino senator lost to Australian Jeff Horn in his only 2017 bout. Pacquiao&#8217;s biggest career payday was his 2015 fight with Mayweather, for which he pocketed roughly $125 million.
21. Derek Jeter
Career earnings: $490 million
Jeter&#8217;s tenure as an MLB owner is off to a rocky start in South Florida. The 14-time All-Star put up only $25 million of the $1.2 billion price for the Miami Marlins, but Jeter is calling the shots as CEO of the team.
22. (tie) Peyton Manning
Career earnings: $480 million
The five-time MVP retired as the NFL’s all-time leader in passing yards (71,490) and touchdowns (539) and was the <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2016/03/07/peyton-manning-retires-with-record-400-million-in-career-earnings/#7c60b345488f" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NFL record-holder for earnings</a> on and off the field. Manning remains a popular pitchman in retirement, shilling for Nationwide, DirecTV, Gatorade, Papa John&#8217;s and Otterbox. He also hosted the 2017 ESPYs.
22. (tie) Kevin Garnett
Career earnings: $480 million
Garnett earned an NBA-record $334 million in playing salary during his 22-year playing career with the Timberwolves, the Celtics and the Nets. His blockbuster six-year, $126 million contract as a 21-year-old in 1997 helped push NBA owners to lock out the players ahead of the 1998-99 season.
24. Evander Holyfield
Career earnings: $475 million
Holyfield&#8217;s career-high payday was $34 million, for his second fight versus Mike Tyson, which ended abruptly when Tyson was disqualified for biting off a chunk of Holyfield&#8217;s ear. Despite a quarter-century of boxing purses, Holyfield faced major financial issues with a foreclosure of his $10 million, 109-room Atlanta estate and lawsuits for unpaid child support.
25. Andre Agassi
Career earnings: $470 million
Agassi&#8217;s massive Nike endorsement deal earned him $140 million over 10 years, including the appreciation of the company stock he received in the pact.
&#8211; Written by <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-ga-track="contrib block byline">Kurt Badenhausen</a>, FORBES STAFF

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