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.

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The list spans 10 different sports and 17 countries, though certain leagues dominate. Basketball leads all sports with 13 players, followed by golf with eight players and boxing with seven players.

Serena Williams is the only woman to make the list with an estimated $680 million in career earnings.

The rankings account for far more than just salaries. Earnings include prize money, endorsements, licensing deals, media ventures, appearance fees, and even equity stakes in major companies. High-profile business moves, such as ownership stakes or long-term brand partnerships, also played a significant role in boosting many athletes’ totals.

Modern stars like LeBron and Messi have benefited from equity deals tied to brands and teams, while earlier legends like Arnold Palmer helped pioneer athlete-driven business empires.

The cutoff to make the top 50 sits at approximately $595 million.

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The Jordan Formula 1 team is perhaps best known for its 1990s heyday, when it gave a certain Michael Schumacher his entry into F1 and took the fight to McLaren and Ferrari in 1999. While Jordan Grand Prix’s form fell off at the turn of the millennium, it still managed one final race win in the 21st century, during a chaotic Brazilian GP on this day 23 years ago.

After its highs in the late 1990s, which saw Jordan pick up three race wins and a handful of podium finishes, the team was struggling in 2003. It had arguably the second-worst car on the F1 grid with the EJ13, and was battling issues with its engines and finances - both on- and off-track.

However, all that paled into insignificance on 6 April 2003 when a bold strategy call from the Jordan team helped it to its fourth and final grand prix victory.

Giancarlo Fisichella qualified an impressive eighth for the team’s 200th grand prix start – which was delayed due to heavy rain at the Interlagos circuit. When the race finally did begin, it was behind the safety car, and this threw up an opportunity for Jordan to mix up its strategy. The team called in Fisichella and team-mate Ralph Firman Jr to fuel them as long as possible, which put them at the back of the pack for the restart. 

Ralph Firman, Jordan EJ13, suspension fails as he crashes into Cristiano da Matta, Toyota TF103

Firman then suffered a front suspension failure, while Fisichella stayed out during the next safety car period and ensuing stops. The wet conditions continued causing upsets, with Schumacher succumbing to the rain and Jenson Button crashing shortly after the safety car had gone back in following the German’s off.

After this, home hero Rubens Barrichello took the lead from McLaren’s David Coulthard on lap 45, while Fisichella sat fifth for Jordan. The Brazilian soon ran out of fuel, however, which promoted Fisichella up the order once more.

Coulthard then stopped from the lead to refuel, while third-placed Ralf Schumacher also dove into the pits – promoting Fisichella to second. He jumped further up the order when Kimi Raikkonen made a mistake in his McLaren, which handed the Italian the lead – the first time a Jordan car had led a grand prix in more than two years.

Raikkonen repassed Fisichella shortly before the race was red-flagged following a huge crash from Fernando Alonso, and the Fin was initially crowned winner of the chaotic race.

Podium: Giancarlo Fisichella, Jordan celebrates

However, Jordan appealed the result and an ensuing FIA investigation determined that the race result should have been declared at the end of lap 54 – the one lap on which Fisichella was ahead.

It marked a return to the podium for Jordan for the first time since the 2000 United States Grand Prix and would be its final of four F1 race wins. The team went on to take a final podium at the infamous 2005 United States GP, before it morphed into MF1 Racing, Spyker, Force India, Racing Point and then Aston Martin.

It would go on to take six podiums as Force India, before its next victory came for Racing Point at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix. In its Aston Martin guise, the side has picked up nine podiums but is still chasing a return to the top step.

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