Michael Jordan named world’s highest-paid athlete of all time

Charlotte Hornets owner Michael Jordan has been named the world’s highest paid athlete of all time by Forbes magazine.

Jordan’s career earnings stand at $1.85 billion, according to Forbes. Golfer Tiger Woods ranks second at $1.7 billion.

The report credits Jordan’s dozens of longtime endorsements, including with Gatorade, Hanes, Nike and Wheaties. He became a billionaire with his 90-percent stake in the Hornets, a team worth $780 million, according to Forbes.

Jordan played three seasons at the University of North Carolina before his 15-year NBA Hall of Fame career, predominantly with the Chicago Bulls.

He is a six-time NBA champion and NBA Finals MVP, a five-time NBA MVP and 14-time NBA All-Star.

In 1999, ESPN named Jordan the greatest North American athlete of the 20th century. The Associated Press ranked him second only to Babe Ruth on its list of athletes of the century.

He became part-owner and head of basketball operations for the Charlotte Bobcats in 2006 and bought a controlling interest in 2010.

This story was originally published December 14, 2017 at 8:51 PM with the headline "Michael Jordan named world’s highest-paid athlete of all time."