Jordan, Michael -$2.2 billion in net worth. Jordan, widely regarded as the best player in NBA history, has turned his basketball prowess into a multibillion-dollar business. He is the owner of several high-profile brands including Nike, Inc. and JumpSport, LLC.
Larry Bird - $1.5 billion. The Larry Bird fan club has been known to show up at Celtics games with signs praising him as "The Man," "Mr. May," and "The Greatest Bird of All Time."
Wilt Chamberlain - $1.4 billion. One of the greatest players in NBA history, Wilt Chamberlain owned several businesses including a production company, a financial planning firm, and a food service company. He also earned more than $100 million per year during his career.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - $1.1 billion. Known for his dominance on the court, Kareem was also an important force in politics and business outside of sports. He is considered by many to be the greatest center to ever play the game.
Charles Barkley - $900 million. Charles Barkley made his fortune through speaking engagements, television appearances, and as a sportswriter. He is also known for criticizing officials during time spent as a player or coach at the highest level of basketball.
According to Forbes, Michael Jordan, widely considered as the greatest basketball player of all time, has a net worth of $1.9 billion. He guided the Chicago Bulls to six NBA titles and earned a total salary of $90 million throughout his tenure. His achievements off the court, on the other hand, are what made him a millionaire. He has had several business ventures including a sports apparel line, a video game series, and a food company.
Another famous billionaire basketball player is Larry Bird of the Indiana Pacers. He is ranked fifth by ESPN on its list of the top 50 NBA players of all time. With an estimated net worth of $200 million, Bird won two championships with the Boston Celtics in the 1980s and was named MVP three times.
Athletes are only given money if they play for a professional team. That is why we see less of them making millions than you might expect. There have been some high-profile exceptions though. Who can forget Pete Rose? The legendary baseball player had a career batting average of.344 and was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999. However, he has been declared "invisible" by the Cincinnati Reds since 1989 when he began working for their marketing department as a color analyst during home games. In this role, he does not receive any pay but uses his celebrity status to promote the team.
Rose has never denied being tied up with gambling while he played baseball.
Here's how Michael Jordan generates and spends his $1.6 billion fortune, from hidden golf courses to private aircraft. Michael Jordan is widely regarded as the best basketball player of all time. He is also the world's richest retired professional athlete, having a net worth of $1.6 billion. His highest-grossing movie role was with Disney in 1992's "Space Jam," where he played an alien called The Space Jumper who wanted to play baseball against humans. The film did extremely well at the box office, earning over $100 million in just three days.
In terms of revenue, he has won more than $500 million since his retirement in 2003. During his career, he wore Nike shoes and sportswear brands such as Puma and YEEZY brand became associated with him.
He started out playing minor league baseball before turning to basketball. Today, he is one of the most popular athletes in the world, with many people identifying themselves as being fans of "The Jordan Brand."
During his NBA career, Michael Jordan made $240 million, making him the second wealthiest athlete in history behind only Roger Staubach ($300 million).
After retiring from basketball, he had some trouble finding new challenges, so he turned to business ventures.
In fact, it broke a 15-year record by exceeding $30 million in a single season (1996-97). Exposition, development, complications, climax, and resolution are the phases that stories go through. In this case, the complication is that we now have two top 10 players in the league making over $10 million per year.
The conclusion is that worth is relative; something that is valuable to you may not be so for others. And the resolution is that money can't buy happiness, but it can't hurt either.
— This article originally appeared on 7 Ways Stories Influence Us. It has been republished with permission from Penguin Random House.