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Business Daily

The making of a billionaire athlete

Business Daily

BBC

Business

4.4816 Ratings

🗓️ 15 February 2024

⏱️ 18 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Only four sportspeople have turned success on the field to success in business, making it to the 10 figure club.

Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, Lebron James and Magic Johnson, the last to join in October 2023, according to the wealth-tracking business magazine, Forbes.

Matt Lines finds out the secrets behind the fortunes of these four athletes and who could be joining the list in future.

(Picture: L-R: Tiger Woods. Credit: Reinhold Matay/USA Today Sports. Magic Johnson. Credit: Allison Dinner/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock. Lebron James. Credit: Dale Zanine/USA Today Sports. Michael Jordan. Credit: Franck Fife/AFP/Getty Images)

Presenter/producer: Matt Lines

Transcript

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0:00.0

Unmissible stories from around the globe from the BBC World Service.

0:05.1

My happy place, this is who I am.

0:08.2

Search for the documentary, Lives Less Ordinary and Amazing Sports Stories, wherever you get your BBC podcasts.

0:20.5

Only four sports people are said to have made it to the status of billionaire.

0:25.1

Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and the latest edition, Magic Johnson.

0:29.8

There's a certain type of athlete who has vision and sees themselves as larger than simply the sport they're in.

0:41.2

Hello, I'm Matt Lines and welcome to Business Daily from the BBC World Service.

0:46.1

Today, we're going to find out just what it took them to get there.

0:49.7

Entrepreneurial.

0:51.0

Tremendous drives.

0:52.3

Talent, natural, God-given ability. ability joy they brought effervescence and unbounded success when they reached the top they are almost bigger than their sport i'll be hearing from agents industry veterans and writers about the secrets behind their success and who could be joining the list in future.

1:11.4

When you look at women's sport, it's still in its infancy.

1:14.1

We're going to have to be looking up to 40, 50 years before we see these figures change.

1:18.7

That's coming up on Business Daily.

1:24.3

And this just in, the money.

1:26.9

According to Forbes, LeBron James is now a billionaire.

1:31.5

Tiger Woods has donned the green jacket as Masters Champion five times, but he's earned even more green.

1:37.8

Forbes magazine says Woods is now a billionaire. Yes, with a B. Magic Johnson joins the 10-figure club. The former athlete is now

1:46.4

a billionaire. Forbes magazine is ranking Michael Jordan. The first professional athlete is one of

1:51.3

America's 400 wealthiest people. Tiger Woods, golfer, billionaire. Michael Jordan,

1:58.4

LeBron James, Magic Johnson, basketball players, all billionaires.

2:03.6

These are the four who make up the Forbes list of athletes to hit the 10-figure summit.

...

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