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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteAthletes become billionaires through estimated net worth—not simply by earning $1 billion in salaries or career income. Forbes’ August 2025 reporting identified seven people in its discussion of billionaire athletes: Ion Tiriac, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Junior Bridgeman, LeBron James, Tiger Woods and Roger Federer. That is a dated group, not a definitive global census; individual valuations and lists can change.
What does “billionaire athlete” mean?
In this article, a billionaire athlete is someone whose estimated net worth is at least $1 billion. Net worth is the value of a person’s assets minus liabilities; it is not the same as gross career earnings. A career-income figure does not account for taxes, agents’ fees, spending, debts, or what investments and ownership stakes are worth today.
That distinction matters in Forbes’ 2025 reporting: it identified seven athletes who had crossed $1 billion in career pretax income while active—Roger Federer, LeBron James, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Floyd Mayweather. That is a different group and measure from athletes estimated to have billionaire net worth. The career-income list does not establish that each person had a net worth above $1 billion.
Which athletes are billionaires?
Forbes Australia’s August 24, 2025 feature named Ion Tiriac, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Junior Bridgeman, LeBron James, Tiger Woods and Roger Federer in its historical discussion of billionaire athletes. Treat that as the roster in that report, rather than a timeless or exhaustive list. Bridgeman died in March 2025, as the feature noted.
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Net-worth estimates are snapshots, not audited guarantees, and the figures below come from different dates. Forbes’ Jordan profile showed an estimated $4.7 billion as of October 4, 2026, while its August 2025 Federer feature estimated $1.1 billion. They should not be read as same-date valuations or as products of a shared calculation.
How do athletes build billionaire-level wealth?
Playing contracts and prize money can provide the platform, but endorsements, equity, investments and business ownership can add substantial value. The Forbes profiles of Jordan and Federer illustrate different combinations; they are exceptional individual cases, not evidence that one route is typical or guaranteed.
Michael Jordan: partnerships and business interests
Forbes’ profile says Jordan earned $90 million in total playing-career salary and generated ten figures from corporate partnerships. It names Nike, Hanes and Gatorade among his partners, and also describes business interests involving DraftKings and NASCAR. After selling majority ownership of the Charlotte Hornets in 2023, he retained a minority stake. His current estimate is therefore not a measure of basketball pay alone.
The same Forbes profile says his first Nike contract, signed in 1984, was worth $500,000 a year plus royalties, and states that Nike now pays nearly $300 million per year. The latter is the profile’s statement, not a separately verified disclosure of the contract’s terms.
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Roger Federer: endorsements and equity
Forbes Australia estimated Federer’s net worth at $1.1 billion in its August 2025 feature. It reported nearly $131 million in career prize money and roughly $1 billion before taxes and agents’ fees from endorsements, appearances and other business endeavors during his tennis career. The latter is an earnings estimate, not his net worth.
A central part of the estimate was Federer’s minority stake in On, the publicly traded Swiss shoe and apparel company. He took an equity stake in 2019 and helped develop an on-court tennis shoe. Forbes reported that he held an estimated 3% stake when On went public in 2021; at the company’s market capitalization when the feature appeared, that stake was valued at more than $375 million. Public-market values can move, so neither the percentage nor the dollar estimate should be treated as a current valuation.
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Federer’s other ventures cited by the feature include Team8, a management company; the Laver Cup; and an investment in plant-based food company NotCo. In a 2023 interview with Forbes, then co-CEO of On Marc Maurer described Federer’s role by saying, “Roger was the accelerator.” That remark speaks to his contribution to the company’s development; the stake’s value remains subject to market movements.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Did they become billionaires while still competing?
Forbes’ August 2025 feature identified LeBron James and Tiger Woods as the only athletes in its discussed billionaire-net-worth group who joined it while still active in their sports. The same feature’s separate list of seven people who crossed $1 billion in career pretax income while active should not be mistaken for a list of seven active athletes with billionaire net worth.
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Why billionaire-athlete estimates change
Estimates can shift as the value of public-company shares, private businesses and sports-franchise interests changes. Jordan’s $4.7 billion figure is Forbes’ real-time profile estimate dated October 4, 2026, with profile notes last updated September 15, 2026. Federer’s $1.1 billion figure is from a feature published August 24, 2025. Because the snapshots differ in date and may reflect different valuation methods, comparing them as if they were calculated together would be misleading.
For the same reason, a headline saying an athlete “earned” $1 billion needs context: it may refer to pretax career income, whereas a billionaire designation refers to estimated net worth. Those figures answer different questions.
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