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The 20 richest people in sports

#1 Steve Ballmer

The 20 richest people in sports
Sports1 min read

#2 Mukesh Ambani

#2 Mukesh Ambani

Net worth: $19.3 billion

Overall rank among Forbes billionaires: No. 36

Role: Owner of the Mumbai Indians, a cricket team in the India Premier League.

Age: 58

One thing to know: Ambani purchased the Mumbai Indians in 2008. They have been champions of the IPL in two of the last three seasons.

Source: Forbes

#3 Paul Allen

#3 Paul Allen

Net worth: $17.5 billion

Overall rank among Forbes billionaires: No. 40

Role: Owner of the Seattle Seahawks, Portland Trail Blazers, and Seattle Sounders.

Age: 63

One thing to know: Allen, a co-founder of Microsoft, purchased the Trail Blazers for $70 million in 1988. They are now worth $975 million.

Source: Forbes

#4 Dietrich Mateschitz

#4 Dietrich Mateschitz

Net worth: $13.2 billion

Overall rank among Forbes billionaires: No. 64

Role: Co-founder of Red Bull

Age: 71

One thing to know: Red Bull has kept close ties to all manner of extreme sports and has been a strong presence as a team owner in Formula 1 racing.

Source: Forbes

#5 Stephen Ross

#5 Stephen Ross

Net worth: $12.0 billion

Overall rank among Forbes billionaires: No. 80

Role: Owner of the Miami Dolphins

Age: 75

One thing to know: In 2009 Ross completed the purchase of 95% of the Dolphins for a then-record $1.1 billion.

Source: Forbes

#6 Philip Anschutz

#6 Philip Anschutz

Net worth: $9.7 billion

Overall rank among Forbes billionaires: No. 108

Role: Owner of the Los Angeles Kings

Age: 76

One thing to know: In addition to the Kings, Anschultz is also a minority owner of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Source: Forbes

#7 Hasso Plattner

#7 Hasso Plattner

Net worth: $9.5 billion

Overall rank among Forbes billionaires: No. 113

Role: Owner of the San Jose Sharks

Age: 72

One thing to know: Plattner was the co-founder of SAP and also owns several golf course.

Source: Forbes

#8 Stan Kroenke

#8 Stan Kroenke

Net worth: $7.7 billion

Overall rank among Forbes billionaires: No. 148

Role: Owner of the

Age: 68

One thing to know: Kroenke recently won the NFL's race back to Los Angeles with his Rams set to play there in 2016. In addition, he also owns the Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche, and Colorado Rapids.

Source: Forbes

#9t Mikhail Prokhorov

#9t Mikhail Prokhorov

Net worth: $7.6 billion

Overall rank among Forbes billionaires: No. 151

Role: Owner of the Brooklyn Nets

Age: 50

One thing to know: Prokhorov purchased the Nets for $200 million in 2010. Now that they are in Brooklyn, the team has an estimated value of $1.7 billion.

Source: Forbes

#9t Roman Abramovich

#9t Roman Abramovich

Net worth: $7.6 billion

Overall rank among Forbes billionaires: No. 151

Role: Owner of Chesea F.C.

Age: 49

One thing to know: Chelsea has won four of their five league championships since Abramovich purchased control of the club in 2003.

Source: Forbes

#11 Micky Arison

#11 Micky Arison

Net worth: $7.1 billion

Overall rank among Forbes billionaires: No. 167

Role: Owner of the Miami Heat

Age: 66

One thing to know: Arison's father was a co-founder of Carnival Cruise Lines. Arison took control of the Heat in 1995. The team has won three championships with Arison as owner.

Source: Forbes

#12 Silvio Berlusconi

#12 Silvio Berlusconi

Net worth: $6.2 billion

Overall rank among Forbes billionaires: No. 188

Role: Owner of AC Milan football club

Age: 79

One thing to know: The former prime minister of Italy, Berlusconi made his fortune in media, bringing American shows like "The Smurfs" and "Baywatch" to Italy.

Source: Forbes

#13 Shahid Khan

#13 Shahid Khan

Net worth: $5.9 billion

Overall rank among Forbes billionaires: No. 205

Role: Owner of Jacksonville Jaguars and Fulham Football Club.

Age: 65

One thing to know: Since Khan purchased the Jaguars in 2011, they have averaged 3.8 wins. In addition, Fulham was recently delegated to the second division of English soccer.

Source: Forbes

#14 Ted Lerner

#14 Ted Lerner

Net worth: $5.5 billion

Overall rank among Forbes billionaires: No. 233

Role: Owner of the Washington Nationals

Age: 90

One thing to know: After Major League Baseball purchased the Montreal Expos for $120 million, they then moved the franchise to Washington, DC, and sold the team to Lerner for $450 million. The team is now worth an estimated $1.3 billion.

Source: Forbes

#15 Joe Lewis

#15 Joe Lewis

Net worth: $5.3 billion

Overall rank among Forbes billionaires: No. 248

Role: Co-owner of Tottenham Hotspur in the English Premier League.

Age: 79

One thing to know: In addition to his ownership of the Spurs, Lewis is also helping to develop the new home of the US Tennis Association near Orlando and a training facility for Orlando City S.C. in Major League Soccer.

Source: Forbes

#16t James Dolan family

#16t James Dolan family

Net worth: $5 billion

Overall rank among Forbes billionaires: No. 270

Role: CEO of Cablevision

Age: 60

One thing to know: As the chairman of Madison Square Garden, Dolan is tasked with managing their sports properties, including the Knicks, Rangers, and Liberty.

Source: Forbes

#16t Jerry Jones

#16t Jerry Jones

Net worth: $5 billion

Overall rank among Forbes billionaires: No. 270

Role: Owner of the Dallas Cowboys

Age: 73

One thing to know: In 1989, Jerry Jones purchased the Dallas Cowboys for $140 million, the first time anybody had ever paid more than $100 million for a team. The Cowboys are now worth $4 billion.

Source: Forbes

#18 Dan Gilbert

#18 Dan Gilbert

Net worth: $4.9 billion

Overall rank among Forbes billionaires: No. 286

Role: Owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers

Age: 54

One thing to know: In 2010, Gilbert famously wrote an angry letter in Comic Sans font after LeBron James signed with the Miami Heat. The letter guaranteed that the Cavs would win a championship "BEFORE THE SELF-TITLED FORMER 'KING' WINS ONE." Of course that didn't happen, and when James returned to the Cavs, the letter was taken down.

Source: Forbes

#19t Michael & Marian Ilitch & family

#19t Michael & Marian Ilitch & family

Net worth: $4.8 billion

Overall rank among Forbes billionaires: No. 298

Role: Owner of the Detroit Tigers and Detroit Red Wings

Age: 86

One thing to know: Ilitch made his fortune as the founder of Little Caesars Pizza.

Source: Forbes

#19t Robert Kraft

#19t Robert Kraft

Net worth: $4.8 billion

Overall rank among Forbes billionaires: No. 298

Role: Owner of the New England Patriots

Age: 74

One thing to know: In 1994, Kraft purchased Foxboro Stadium and then blocked an attempt to move the team. When he wouldn't let the previous owners out of their lease, he instead purchased the struggling franchise for a then-record $175 million.

Source: Forbes

Bonus: Michael Jordan

Bonus: Michael Jordan

Net worth: $1.1 billion

Role: Owner of the Charlotte Hornets

Age: 53

One thing to know: Jordan is on the list of billionaires for the second-straight year. He ranks 61st among sports owners and No. 1,577 overall.

Source: Forbes

Now check how much the highest-paid NBA players have made.

Now check how much the highest-paid NBA players have made.
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