Sportico released its list for the Top 25 highest-paid athletes of all time on Friday. The names on the list were a who's who of modern sports lore, headlined by Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods.
The published list focused on career earnings and adjusted for inflation. With those factors in mind, Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods not only occupied the top two spots on the list but were also the only two athletes to break the $2B mark.
Jordan earned $2.62 billion thanks to at least $1 billion in royalties he received from Nike. Woods earned around $2.1 billion and like Jordan, benefitted from a long-term partnership with Nike.
The Top 12 includes:
1. Michael Jordan: $2.62 billion
2. Tiger Woods: $2.1 billion
3. Arnold Palmer: $1.5 billion
4. Jack Nicklaus: $1.38 billion
5. Cristiano Ronaldo: $1.24 billion
6. Floyd Mayweather Jr.: $1.2 billion
7. LeBron James: $1.17 billion
8. Lionel Messi: $1.14 billion
9. Michael Schumacher: $1.13 billion
10. Roger Federer: $1.12 billion
11. Phil Mickelson: $1.08 billion
12. David Beckham: $1.05 billion
Source: bleacherreport.com
