Recently, arguably the greatest basketball player has joined the shortlist of billionaires. He is still associated with athletic apparel company Nike , which earns him $100 million annually along with his team Charlotte Hornets , which is worth $725 million. Forbes has compiled a list of owners who have invested in their teams as billionaires. Let’s look at the 10 richest.

Bernie Ecclestone – $3.9 billion

Formula 1 fans might have been looking for a similarly competitive racing sport if it weren’t for Bernie’s idea of ​​promoting it worldwide. He has a 5.3% interest in companies in the Formula 1 group and the elite motor racing league in Great Britain. A British business tycoon like Ecclestone will always try to improve the sport no matter what. He owns the most famous racing league in the world. Bernie’s fortune is growing every year and his daughters Tamara Ecclestone and Petra Ecclestone will have financial freedom as the 84-year-old legend keeps it all for them.

Jerry Jones – 4,2 Milliarden US-Dollar

Being rich almost means making good decisions. Jerry did a great job when he bought The Cowboys for $150 million in 1989 because today the NFL team is worth $3.2 billion. Jerry has a master’s degree in business and sport isn’t the only area he invests in. The oil and gas exploration company in Oklahoma earned him rich man status in the 1970s. The Dallas Cowboys fans would be proud of this owner since the team has accomplished more than was personally involved in its progression. He did a great job and in 1992 he was elected to the NFL Competition Committee. That was the first year, after fifteen years, they won the Super Bowl. Now the Dallas Cowboysis the most valuable team in American football.

Robert Kraft – $4.3 billion

Here’s another NFL team lucky enough to have such a wealthy owner. Robert Kraft bought the Patriots for $172 million in 1995, making them one of the best in the league. He achieved his fortune through the diversified holding company The Kraft Group . Robert Kraft is the current Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the company, which is active in sectors such as paper and packaging, sports and real estate development. The Kraft family also supports numerous philanthropic events and causes related to education and healthcare. Kraft is also an investor in Major League Soccer’s team, the New England Revolution, and is one of the reasons New England celebrates professional sports.

Stanley Kroenke – $6.3 billion

Stanley is a 67-year-old team owner who simply enjoys investing in professional sports. He owns more than one team and they are the NBA teams Denver Nuggets, The Colorado Avalanche, St. Louis Rams and Arsenal. Similar to the other owners, he was able to make his fortune with real estate and the construction of shopping centers. His ability to build a business is the main strength he possesses. As an investor, Stanley rarely interferes with their plans and goals. He rarely gives an interview for the newspapers and was therefore nicknamed Silent Stan. There are also rumors that Stan is interested in moving the Rams to California, Los Angeles.

Micky Arison – 7.1 Billion Dollars

Mickey is the former CEO of Carnival Cruise Lines , which is based in Florida. The company has the largest fleet in the group and ten cruise brands. But Arison is also the owner of intense heat . It’s an NBA team that has had superstars like LeBron James who have brought them some NBA title wins in recent years. The Arison family is proud to own a team like the Fierce Heat . Her basketball operations principal is Pat Riley. Even though they have one of the most successful teams in professional sports, their main fortune comes from the shipping company Cruise. It was started with his father Ted Arison to create what is probably the best cruise line in the world.

Dmitry Rybolovlev – 8.5 Milliarden US Dollar

Smart investments will always help increaseHappiness. Dmitry made a name for himself by investing not only in the largest producer of potassium fertilizers, but also in AS Monaco FC. He loves football and wise investments, but is a cardiologist by profession, but there is no evidence that he performs surgery on the patients. Many people know him for divorcing his wife as she poured $3.5 billion into the divorce settlement. Monaco’s non-income tax regime (however, 33.33% of corporate tax applies if more than 25% of a company’s income is earned outside of Monaco. Otherwise, companies pay no direct tax on their profits) gives it the opportunity to pay players more , since he does not pay enormous taxes in the country. This is a great advantage in every respect, because otherwise millions of euros would have been paid in taxes.

Roman Abramovich – $9.1 billion

As one of the richest men in the world, Roman is proud to support a club like Chelsea FC . The business tycoon made his fortune fromsteel and oil industries. He started with a small company making plastic toys, then invested in the oil business in the Omsk region. It didn’t take long for his name to spread across the country, earning him the respect he enjoys today. Chelsea club are among the best in the Premier League in England today and they are partly to blame for that success. His investment in the team is around $1.5 billion. That’s a lot of money for a football team.

Mikhail Prokhorov – 9.9 Milliarden US Dollar

Prokhorov is the owner of Brooklyn Networks. He is a very smart multi-billionaire who is also a politician and an excellent businessman. His beginnings were in the clothing industry (jeans) and it all started right after he graduated from finance school. He invested his money in a sour jeans company and that was his first wise move. It helped Mikhail improve in the financial ladder. His next step, investing in mining, made him even more financially strong. The Siberian mining company he set up in 1993 was the reason for his fortunes to grow over the years. The Brooklyn Nets were an average team before he bought them. Now the Nets are on course to win the Nest NBA Championship.

Paul Allen – $17.5 billion

It’s safe to say that most of the richest men in the world play sports. The Microsoft co-founder owns the Seattle Seahawks , the Portland Trailblazers , and the Seattle Sounders . He must be proud of the Seahawks since they won their first Super Bowl in 2014. Paul continues to work with the Allen Institute for Brain Scienceeven after leaving Microsoft. The institute is working on a better understanding of the human brain as his mother suffers from Alzheimer’s. However, many people may not be aware of Allen’s other talents. He also owns a band called Underthinkers, which released a debut album in 2013. Paul Allen plays electric guitar and you might be surprised that he’s also an Emmy winner.

Steve Ballmer – 21,5 Milliarden US-Dollar

If this list was made in 2013, you wouldn’t have read about former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, who decided to buy the list from Clippers in 2014 after the racism issues the previous owner was dealing with. Steve absolutely loves his team and it’s obvious that he’s a genuine fan for them. He bought them for a record $2 billion, but that wasn’t a problem for him as he was Microsoft CEO for 15 years. The wealthiest sports team owner is willing to invest his time and money into making the clippers , NBA champions. If they win, it would be their first NBA title, and it’s a good reason he’s cheering as a devoted Clippers fan.