MICHAEL JORDAN – $2.2 B

Michael Jeffrey Jordan is now known as one of the most popular basketball players in the NBA’s history. He started out his journey in basketball during his junior year in Laney High School and brought the team to greater heights when he scored an average of 25 points for every game during his junior and senior years. Jordan went to college in UNC, where he was eventually named ACC Freshman of the Year.

He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in geography. Afterward, he joined the NBA, where he first played for the Chicago Bulls and then went on to the Washington Wizards. From Nike royalties alone, Jordan earns $80 – $100 million in a year. He is the first athlete in history to earn more than $30 million a year. Although Michael hasn’t played professional basketball for nearly two decades, he still earns $100 million a year from endorsements and other businesses, which is higher than his salary in 16 NBA seasons.