The Rise of Professional Athlete Investors

Updated: Mar 15, 2024By Emma VernerBusiness

This article originally appeared on Investing.com. It has been republished here with permission.

LeBron James & Kevin Durant © Yong Teck Lim/Getty Images

In America especially, athletes are some of the most famous, and most venerated, people around. They are also some of the wealthiest, earning millions upon millions either from massive contracts or from sponsorships with major sportswear brands.

With their millions, many athletes tend to invest in major industries, wielding enormous influence on the market. Whether they’re using their Nike money to invest in new tech ventures in Silicon Valley or using championship winnings to open a restaurant chain, these are the biggest athlete investors changing our financial landscape.

1. LeBron James

Net Worth: $850 million*
Invests in: Blaze Pizza, Ladder, SpringHill Entertainment

The fifth-wealthiest athlete in the world, NBA star LeBron James has his hands in several different investments. LeBron and his partners invested in Blaze Pizza, a quick-concept personal pizza chain, back in 2012. Reportedly, James owns 19 of the restaurants.

Lebron James ©Harry How / Gettyimages.com

In addition, he founded SpringHill Entertainment, a production company that has worked with the likes of Netflix, ESPN, NBC, and more, making movies and television shows. He also partnered with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lindsey Vonn, and Cindy Crawford to form a wellness company named Ladder.

2. Serena Williams

Net Worth: $210 million*
Invests in: Lola, Billie, Daily Harvest, Masterclass

Serena Williams might be one of the winningest tennis players in history, but she also has an excellent track record in the business world too. Through her women-led investment firm, Serena Ventures, she invests in more than 30 companies.

Serena Williams @allybnyc / Pinterest.com

Most of these brands feature products geared towards women. From Lola, a company that sells organic period products like cotton tampons, to Billie, a company seeking to revolutionize the shaving industry, Williams has her finger on the pulse of what women want.

3. Kevin Durant

Net Worth: $170 million*
Invests in: Postmates, Robinhood, JetSmarter

Another NBA hotshot, Kevin Durant is as smart on the court as he is with his investment portfolio. Founding Thirty-Five Ventures with his manager Rick Kleiman, he invests in a myriad of tech companies with vastly different goals.

Kevin Durant @news4cric / PInterest.com

For example, he invests in Postmates, a company that delivers food and toiletries on demand; Robinhood, which is an app that allows people to buy and sell stocks; and JetSmarter, a platform for buying individual rides on private jets.

4. Michael Jordan

Net Worth: $1.6 billion*
Invests in: Charlotte Hornets, Sportradar, Gigster

At this point, Michael Jordan has gone beyond his status as an NBA legend to become a household name and public figure. The star of a Netflix documentary, The Last Dance, Jordan has parlayed his sports success into an empire worth over a billion-and-a-half dollars.

Michael Jordan ©u/thatswhytheycallitsh / Reddit.com

While by far and away his fortune comes from lucrative sponsorship deals with brands like Nike and Gatorade, he has managed to recoup a handsome sum on many of his investments. His largest investment is his majority stake in the Charlotte Hornets, and he has also done well with Sportradar, a sports data company based in Switzerland, and Gigster, a job site for tech workers in the gig economy.

5. Conor McGregor

Net Worth: $180 million*
Invests in: Proper Twelve Whiskey, Black Forge Inn, August McGregor

Conor McGregor, famed UFC champion, might not have the best reputation outside of the ring. Bad behavior aside, he has managed to turn his winnings into quite a respectable fortune by investing in the right companies and starting several of his own.

Conor McGregor @havi0360 / PInterest.com

Most recently, he sunk $3 million into the Black Forge Inn, a public house in Dublin, hinting at plans to take the concept worldwide. In addition, he has Proper Twelve Whiskey, a profitable whiskey brand, and August McGregor, an upscale menswear brand that’s dressed everyone from Bruce Springsteen to Elon Musk.

6. Stephen Curry

Net Worth: $150 million*
Invests in: Tonal, SnapTravel, TSM

Steph Curry isn’t just a talented shooter with the Golden State Warriors–he’s a sharpshooter in the business world as well. He makes skilled investments with incredible foresight, managing to put his money in companies that have grown larger than expected.

Stephen Curry @bleacherreport / Pinterest.com

He has invested in Tonal, a company specializing in at-home workouts featuring an AI-powered smart-machine; SnapTravel, an app that seeks to replace travel agents with an online service; and TSM, an esports company that is by far his most lucrative investment. In just two years, TSM’s value has grown from $250 million to $410 million.

7. Alex Rodriguez

Net Worth: $400 million*
Invests in: Hims & Hers, Vitacoco, Acorns

Through his investment firm, A-Rod Corp, baseball legend Alexander Rodriguez has his money spread out among several different businesses. With investments in over 30 companies, A-Rod Corp claims to have partnerships worth $1 billion.

Alex Rodriguez ©Michael Loccisano / Gettyimages.com

Some brands he currently invests in are Hims & Hers, which is a telemedicine company he put money into along with his former fiancee Jennifer Lopez; Vitacoco, a company that sells cartons of vitamin water; and Acorns, a fintech company.

8. Carmelo Anthony

Net Worth: $160 million*
Invests in: LEUNE, mophie, MakeSpace

Like many of his former NBA peers, Carmelo Anthony has pivoted into a successful career as a businessman. With his company Melo7 Tech Partners, he has several major investments in his portfolio, mainly in the tech sector.

Carmelo Anthony ©Jewjewbeed / Shutterstock.com

His most recent investment was in the company LEUNE, a cannabis company based in California. He also has money in MakeSpace, a full-service storage company that offers both pick up and delivery. In addition, he’s invested in mophie, which makes power banks and phone cases that carry an extra charge.

9. Steve Young

Net Worth: $200 million*
Invests in: Beauty Industry Group, AutoAlert, Specialist Risk Group

Steve Young, a former NFL player who spent most of his career as quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, has now struck gold as head of the investment firm HGGC. The massive company has stakes across several industries, mainly in huge companies that aren’t exactly household names, running things behind the scenes.

Steve Young ©Wesley Hitt / Gettyimages.com

A more recent acquisition, Marmic offers full-service fire prevention services across the country. Beauty Industry Group, while vague-sounding, mainly specializes in quality hair extensions, selling primarily through e-commerce websites. Specialist Risk Group is a large and fast-growing insurance broker located in Europe and the U.K.

10. Roger Staubach

Net Worth: $600 million*
Invests in: Hall of Fame Racing, Real Estate

“Captain America” may not be playing football anymore, but the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback is still making smart business moves. The owner of both Staubach Retail Services and Cypress Equities, Staubach has his hands in many industries.

Roger Staubach ©Todd Warshaw / Gettyimages.com

Towards the end of his football career, Staubach started his real estate firm, which became incredibly lucrative for the star. He sold it off in 2008, in a deal that earned him $640 million paid over three years. In addition, he had a stake in a NASCAR Cup Series team.

11. Magic Johnson

Net Worth: $600 million*
Invests in: Starbucks, 24 Hour Fitness, the Lakers

Magic Johnson, aptly nicknamed for his prowess on the court, also shows incredible business acumen that amassed him a fortune of $600 million. With his company Magic Johnson Enterprises, he invested back into the team that brought him success, as well as into gyms, restaurant chains, and coffee shops.

Magic Johnson ©Kevork Djansezian / Gettyimages.com

Johnson invests in Starbucks, the ubiquitous coffee chain, as well as the casual restaurant concept TGI Fridays and fast-food stalwart Burger King. He also has money in 24 Hour Fitness, an always-open gym chain. His first-ever investment, however, was with the Lakers, putting in $10 million and recouping between $40-$50 million a decade and a half later.

12. Arnold Palmer

Net Worth: $700 million*
Invests in: Arnold Palmer beverages, Golf Channel

Arnold Palmer was the first person to make $1 million simply from playing golf, but he made the other $699 million more with his smart business decisions. Founding International Management Group (IMG) with his business partner, Palmer created an empire of golf courses and branded apparel that netted him $40 million a year.

Arnold Palmer ©Mike Ehrmann / Gettyimages.com

One of Palmer’s greatest accomplishments was marketing his beverage line, selling his eponymous signature mix of half-lemonade-half-iced tea. Beverage giant AriZona owns the line, peddling 500 million cans in 2016. The company’s data shows that most of their customers between the ages of 15-30 don’t even associate Palmer’s name with his golf career, a testament to his business skills.

13. John Elway

Net Worth: $145 million*
Invests in: Elway’s, Toyota, Chevrolet, Chrysler

John Elway, the former quarterback for the Denver Broncos, is now a Coloradan businessman through and through. While he’s had a rough go of it, investing in what turned out to be a Ponzi scheme and then missing out on an investment opportunity with his own Broncos, he always comes out on top.

John Elway ©Justin Edmonds / Gettyimages.com

The football star has a small chain of steakhouses in Colorado called Elway’s that has been very lucrative for him. In addition, he has made much of his fortune through owning dealerships for Toyota, Chevrolet, and Chrysler, and also has invested in a start-up called Vroom, which deals with online car sales.

14. Andre Iguodala

Net Worth: $80 million*
Invests in: Zoom, Allbirds, Datadog

Current NBA player for the Golden State Warriors, Andre Iguodala is also a savvy businessman. With investment firm ConcreteRose, Iguodala has holdings in more than 50 companies. In addition, he is the vice president of the NBA Player’s Association and has a New York Times bestselling memoir.

Andre Iguodala ©Jacob Kupferman / Gettyimages.com

Some highlights of Iguodala’s investment portfolio include Zoom, the telecommunications company specializing in video meetings that absolutely took off over the past few years. He also has funds in Allbirds, a shoe company that recently IPO’d, and Datadog, a tech company dealing with cloud services.