According to an analysis by Sportico, retired NBA great Michael Jordan is the highest-paid athlete of all time, with an estimated income of up to $2.62 billion throughout his entire career. (including fluctuating values ​​affected by inflation). Jordan topped the list of 12 billionaire athletes, including long-retired greats like Arnold Palmer and today’s stars like Lionel Messi.

However, few people know that out of the total income earned, the amount earned in Jordan’s team jersey is very small. During 15 years of playing in tournaments, only 6% of this 58-year-old player’s total revenue came from the contracts he signed with the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards. The main reason is because the sports world has changed dramatically since Jordan ‘s rookie season in 1984. Although today, NBA players can make up to $45 million, players used to be paid The highest salary at that time was Magic Johnson for $2.5 million. What about Jordan’s salary in his first year in the NBA? Only 500,000 USD.

Instead, most of this basketball “king”‘s income comes from advertising contracts, copyrights and auctioned memorabilia. Even though he hasn’t played an NBA game since 2003, Jordan continues to work with brands like Gatorade, fashion company Hanes, collectible card maker Upper Deck and of course, Nike. . His 37-year relationship with the sneaker giant is the biggest reason why the American athlete tops the list. Thanks to owning his own brand Air Jordan, he will earn $150 million in royalties this year.

Along with Jordan, the top 5 positions in Sportico’s rankings belong to golfers such as Tiger Woods (2.1 billion USD), Palmer (1.5 billion USD) and Jack Nicklaus (1.38 billion USD) ); or soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo (1.24 billion USD). In addition, the list also includes other prestigious names such as boxer Floyd Mayweather (1.2 billion USD), basketball player LeBron James (1.17 billion USD), soccer player Messi (1.2 billion USD), basketball player LeBron James (1.17 billion USD), football player Messi (1.2 billion USD). 1.14 billion USD), F1 legend Michael Schumacher (1.13 billion USD), tennis great Roger Federer (1.12 billion USD), golfer Phil Mickelson (1.08 billion USD) and soccer legend Once David Beckham ($1.05 billion). You can check out Sportico’s full rankings and analysis of the 25 highest-paid athletes of all time here .