SAD NEWS: Cristiano Ronaldo, a super star footballer from Portugal, will not be returning until further notice due to an injury.

In terms of inflation-adjusted earnings over his career, Michael Jordan earned over $1 billion more than any other athlete, making him the highest paid athlete of all time.

Even though his NBA contracts with the Bulls and Wizards only brought in $94 million, Jordan has made a sizable sum of money from off-court endorsement and brand partnerships.

Only nine athletes in history have made more than $1 billion in non-inflationary earnings, and Jordan leads the pack with an all-time total of $2.7 billion in non-inflationary paydays.

Sportico released the figures for each athlete, with Jordan mostly reaping the rewards of his more than two decades of sports retirement and growing investment portfolio.

Just this past year, Nike’s Jordan Brand had

$6.6 trillion in earnings. In total, Nike had $51 billion. Jordan’s relationship with Nike has been built on royalties ever since he made his Bulls debut in 1984.

Jordan is now the highest-paid athlete of all time thanks to his brand agreement, which also includes Nike +4.
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Jordan became the highest-paid athlete ever thanks to his brand agreement, which he shares with Nike.

With about $2 billion in earnings (before inflation), Woods is the highest-paid active athlete in history.
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With about $2 billion in earnings (before inflation), Woods is the highest-paid active athlete in history.