Just weeks after making Forbes' definitive 'World's Billionaires' list for the second year, Michael Jordan has now topped the publication's Highest-Paid Retired Athletes list for the third year straight.
With an estimated net worth of $1.1 billion and $110 million in earnings in 2015, it really shouldn't be much of a surprise that His Airness is dominating amongst retired players—David Beckham, who came in second, made just over half of what MJ did—but what really stood out to us was Forbes' prediction that Jordan will make $30 million more than any other retired or active athlete in the world in 2016.
Here's how it breaks down. Obviously, Nike and Jordan Brand are the biggest sources of MJ's earnings, with Jordan Brand bringing in $3 billion in sales and controlling 64 percent of the basketball market in 2015. And along with Nike recently forecasting a total of $50 billion in sales by 2020, it also expects Jordan Brand sales to surge to $4.5 billion annually.
The Swoosh isn't MJ's only significant earner, though. Jordan's deals with the brands like Gatorade, 2K Sports, and Upper Deck continue to be lucrative, and he also owns the Charlotte Hornets, who are in the midst of their most successful season since the '90s.
