There’s more money in sports now than ever.
Juan Soto and Shohei Ohtani have nudged MLB contracts ever closer to the billion-dollar mark. The Boston Celtics sold last month for more than any other franchise in North American sports history. PGA Tour purses have ballooned to keep pace with LIV Golf’s big-money backers and the NFL is poised to opt out of its current broadcast deals for even bigger paydays before the decade is out.
Interestingly enough, the more things change in sports finance, the more they stay the same, at least when it comes to world’s richest athletes. This week, Sportico released its latest report on the 50 highest-earning athletes of all time, and despite the seemingly unchecked growth across sports, the two names at its pinnacle come as no surprise. Take a look.
Michael Jordan 🐐 is the highest-paid athlete of all-time
He's earned $4.15 billion, adjusted for inflation, more than $1 billion ahead of Tiger Woods 🐯 at No. 2 pic.twitter.com/thtdHDNi1o
— Lev Akabas (@LevAkabas) April 22, 2025
As you probably guessed, Michael Jordan continued to lap the pack in 2024, adding to his CEO-like fortune with an estimated $US300 million in Nike earnings. Second to His Airness is a name that will be familiar not just to golfers, but nearly every human being across the globe:
Tiger Woods.
Like Jordan, the Big Cat is a veteran on this list, clocking in with inflation-adjusted career earnings of $2.79 billion. Woods is joined in the top 10 by fellow links icons Arnold Palmer (No.6, $1.82 billion) and Jack Nicklaus (No.7, $1.75 billion). Phil Mickelson (No.11), Greg Norman (No.15), Rory McIlroy (No.24), Ernie Els (No.35) and Gary Player (No.37) make up the remainder of golf’s contributions to the top 50.
Led by that esteemed group, golf boasts the second most athletes (8) and second highest total earnings ($11.12 billion) in the top 50 behind only basketball, which remains buoyed by the dual pillars of Jordan and LeBron James.
NBA players lead the way when it comes to lifetime earnings among athletes
13 of the 50 highest-paid athletes of all-time played basketball 🏀 pic.twitter.com/fBqZDdRfjq
— Lev Akabas (@LevAkabas) April 22, 2025
Golf’s ongoing civil war could disrupt the sport’s overall profitability if left unresolved, but its individual stars remain as bankable as ever. With TGL and Sun Day Red now in Woods’ portfolio, Tiger’s fortune will continue to grow even if he never returns to regular PGA Tour action.
Meanwhile, Rory McIlory is entering his second prime, Scottie Scheffler’s relatability is off the charts and a whole new generation of wealth is already bankrolling Bryson DeChambeau on platforms like YouTube.
Jordan’s reign may not be under any immediate threat, but if this list is any indication, rumours of pro golf’s demise have been greatly exaggerated.
