Who are the other billionaire athletes apart from Tiger Woods?

Legendary golfer Tiger Woods has joined the elite club of billionaire athletes. The American has won several titles (82 PGA Tour wins & 15 Major Championships) and also holds many records.

According to Forbes, the 46-year-old's net worth is estimated to be $1 billion for the first time ever in his life. Woods is the first golfer to have a net worth of over $1 billion. As per the report, Woods earned an estimated $1.7 billion before taxes and agent fees from golf, endorsements and other deals.

Strangely, Woods' earnings from playing the sport are less than 10 percent of his total net worth. The major portion of his income comes from endorsements, sponsorships and businesses. A few companies that he has partnered with are Gatorade, Nike, TaylorMade and Monster Energy.

Apart from endorsements, Woods is a part of several business ventures like a golf course design business, event production, and a restaurant named The Woods.

He is also an investor in the clubs and resorts group, NEXUS Luxury Collection, and is a partner in SPAC (Sports & Health Tech Acquisition Corp).

Moroever, he reached the billion-dollar mark despite rejecting an enormous offer from the Saudi-backed LIV Golf tour.

Forbes reported that Woods earned around $68 million last year despite being absent from the golf course after suffering a serious car accident. He withdrew from many events like the PGA Championship and the US Open this year.

Tiger Woods is the third billionaire athlete in the world

Tiger Woods has become only the third billionaire athlete in the world after NBA icons Michael Jordan and current LA Lakers star LeBron James.

LeBron James was officially declared a billionaire while still playing basketball after his earnings totalled $121.2 million before taxes and agents over the last year. As a result, the Lakers' star became the first active NBA player to become a billionaire.

Michael Jordon is another NBA billionaire, but he did not reach that figure until 2014 at the age of 51, years after he stopped playing the sport. Most of his income came from endorsement deals and businesses. His net worth in 2022 is estimated to be $1.7 billion.

During his career, James has earned $385 million in salary from his time in the NBA with different teams like the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat and Lakers.

He earned a humongous $121.2 million last year and is currently the NBA's highest paid player. Other major sources of his income are endorsement deals and businesses. The Nike athlete has endorsement deals with Coca-Cola, Beats By Dre, Blaze Pizza, and 2K Sports.

"It's my biggest milestone," James told GQ in a 2014 interview about potentially being a billionaire one day. "Obviously. I want to maximize my business. And if I happen to get it, if I happen to be a billion-dollar athlete, ho. Hip hip hooray! Oh, my God, I'm gonna be excited."

James has been smart with his investments, having become a minority shareholder in Premier League football team Liverpool. His other investments include almost one percent in Fenway Sports Group. Not only that, he has made investments in real estate and in a pizza chain that has around 300 locations throughout the US and Canada.