Who are the top sports stars turned entrepreneurs?

Many people have asked whether sports stars make successful entrepreneurs. Success in the sporting world does not always translate to the business one, but there are plenty of entrepreneurs who have seamlessly made the transition and in some cases, even eclipsed their sporting achievements. For our latest Top 32 list, we profile the top sports stars turned successful entrepreneurs.

How have the top 32 been chosen?

The people included in this list have made up a significant proportion of their net worth through ventures outside of the salary earned whilst playing their chosen sport(s). These ventures include investments in other companies, endorsements, and businesses they’ve founded and run, or just worked at.

This list is in no particular order.  

Gary Neville

Football

Manchester United legend Gary Neville is one of the club’s most decorated footballers and a successful pundit since retiring in 2011.

His investment business, The Relentless Group, was launched in 2015, whilst he co-owned Salford City F.C. along with several of his Class of ‘92 teammates since 2014. Earlier this year, he sold a majority stake in his production company, Buzz16, in a move that could value the firm at more than £200m. In 2021, The Sun reported that Gary was involved in 66 businesses and his financial assets were worth £70m.

George Foreman

Boxing

George Foreman is one of the most famous names in boxing. Regarded as one of the sport’s most devastating punchers, he’s also the oldest heavyweight champion ever in the sport’s history, having held the title at age 46. Outside of boxing, Foreman is best known for his eponymously named grill, which he promoted to great success via various TV commercials.

In 1999, he sold the commercial rights to the grill for $138m (£109m), which has sold over 100 million units since it was first launched in 1994.

David Lloyd

Tennis

David Lloyd is a former Davis Cup captain who coached former British number one Tim Henman, helping him to break into the world’s top 10 players. A hugely successful entrepreneur, Lloyd founded the fitness and leisure company David Lloyd Leisure in 1982, floated the company on the London Stock Exchange in 1992, and sold it to Whitbread Plc in 1995 for a reported £201m.

He then created Next Generation fitness clubs, selling the business to London & Regional in 2006. Lloyd’s other business ventures include real estate development and investment in the edtech business Toppa.

Shaquille O’Neal

Basketball

Four-time NBA champion and the NBA’s Most Valuable Player in 2000, Shaquille O’Neal is regarded as one of the greatest centres in the history of basketball. Yet, his sporting ability is, perhaps, exceeded by his acumen for business.

Earlier this year, Yahoo reported that Shaq has owned as many as forty 24 Hour Fitness gyms, 150 car washes, 155 Five Guys Burger & Fries, 9 Papa John’s, 17 Auntie Anne’s pretzels, and a few Krispy Kreme restaurants. He also has an impressive venture portfolio, having invested in the likes of Google, Lyft Inc., Ring, and Vitaminwater.

Lydia Lassila

Skiing

Australian freestyle skier Lydia Lassila competed in five Olympic games, became an Olympic champion in 2010 and won a bronze medal in aerial skiing in 2014. After undergoing surgery on a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in 2005 and having her knee collapse again a year later, Lassila was inspired to set up BodyICE, a company that supplies a range of area-specific ice and heat packs across Australia, New Zealand, the US, Germany, and the Middle East.

In 2020, she also set up ZONE by Lydia, a supplier of eco-conscious products for yoga, wellness, and life.

Serena Williams

Tennis

Arguably the greatest female tennis player of all time, Serena Williams has won the most Grand Slam titles in the Open Era and is the only player to win all four Grand Slams in singles and doubles. Her VC fund, Serena Ventures, was launched in 2017 and has raised $111m (£87m) and invested in more than 60 start-ups.

In December 2022, the tennis legend co-founded the active lifestyle recovery brand Will Perform, and in April 2023, Williams also launched a multimedia company, Nine Two Six Productions.

David Beckham

Football

One of the best English midfielders of his generation and the highest-paid footballer in the world in 2013, David Beckham is a British cultural icon. Outside of his glittering football career, he is the part owner of both Salford F.C. and MLS side Inter Miami CF.

Beckham launched DB Ventures in 2014, which handles endorsements with Adidas, Tudor watches, and Haig Club, his own whiskey brand. The former England football star has also invested in UK esports firm Guild E-Sports, as well as tech companies Zenga and MyFitnessPal, amongst others.

Michael Jordan

Basketball

Michael Jordan is one of the highest-earning sports stars turned entrepreneurs of all time. Widely regarded as the NBA’s greatest-ever player, the six-time NBA champion first partnered with sports apparel giant Nike in 1984, and introduced the Jordan Brand with them in 1997. In 2022, the Jordan Brand brought $5.1bn (£4bn) to Nike with Jordan taking at least $150m (£118m) of that.

He is also a NASCAR team co-owner and an investor in sports-betting firm DraftKings. In June 2023, Jordan sold his majority stake in the Charlotte Hornets basketball team for a rumoured $3bn (£2.37bn).

Danica Patrick

Racing

Danica Patrick is the most successful woman in the history of US open-wheel car racing and has enjoyed considerable success since stepping out of the driver’s seat and venturing into the business world. Patrick purchased a vineyard named Somnium in 2009 and a portfolio of exclusive wines are now released under the brand name.

With an estimated net worth of $80m (£63m), Patrick has earned millions of dollars from high-profile endorsements from the likes of Coca-Cola, Go Daddy, and AirTran Airways, whilst she has hosted her own podcast, Pretty Intense, since 2019.

Josh Lewsey

Rugby

Josh Lewsey is the CEO, Asia Pacific Financial Advisory of the global CEO advisory firm, Teneo. He has spent 20 years working across financial and advisory services, which includes roles at EY and within Citigroup’s Capital Markets team, with other notable roles including a stint as interim CEO of Cornish Pirates and Head of Rugby at the Welsh Rugby Union.

Before venturing into the business world, Lewsey was a member of England Rugby’s 2003 World Cup-winning squad and a four-time Premiership winner with Wasps.

Kristi Yamaguchi

Figure Skating

A two-time World champion, former figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi became the first Asian American to win a gold medal in a Winter Olympic competition after her victory at the 1992 Olympics. Following her Olympic victory, Yamaguchi founded Always Dream in 1996 and the foundation has been improving childhood literacy in underserved communities ever since.

A renowned keynote speaker, she also created her own clothing line, Tsuya, with her various business exploits collectively helping Yamaguchi to build up an estimated net worth of $8m (£6.3m).

Dave Bing

Basketball

Former Detroit Pistons point guard Dave Bing spent 12 seasons in the NBA, winning the Most Valuable Player Award in the 1976 NBA All-Star Game. After retiring from basketball, Bing became a pioneer in the steel industry, forming his own company, Bing Steel, in 1980 and growing it from four employees to more than 1,400 and with annual revenues of $300m (£237m).

Bing sold the firm in 2007 and began a career in politics, winning an election to become Mayor of Detroit and serving in the role from 2009 to 2014.

Mathieu Flamini

Football

French former football player Mathieu Flamini is best known in England for his time at Arsenal, where he won three FA Cups and a runner-up medal in the 2006 Champions League. Shortly after leaving Arsenal for AC Milan in 2008, Flamini ventured into the business world, co-founding GF Biochemicals, a global producer of levulinic acid and derivatives.

The company, which is headquartered in the Netherlands and employs 50 people, has successfully raised €15m (£13m) for its mission, whilst Flamini was named CEO of the company in 2022.

Tony Hawk

Skateboarding

A pioneer of modern vertical skateboarding, Tony Hawk has won Gold 10 times at the X Games, the annual action sports event, and landed the first documented 900 (a two-and-a-half revolution aerial spin) in 1999. Hawk teamed up with Activision in the same year to create Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, which is now a billion-dollar video game franchise.

He has his own skateboard company, Birdhouse Skateboards, and his own clothing brand, Hawk Clothing. Hawk was also one of the early investors in Blue Bottle Coffee, which was acquired by Nestlé for $500m (£395m) in 2017.

Oscar De La Hoya

Boxing

Boxing great Oscar De La Hoya set up his combat sports promotion firm, Golden Boy Promotions, in 2002, and by 2009, it was generating revenues of more than $100m (£79m) a year. Serving as the company’s Chairman and CEO, Golden Boy has promoted a wealth of combat sports stars, including the current undisputed super middleweight boxing champion Canelo Álvarez and former unified light-welterweight world champion Amir Khan.

An 11-time world champion in six weight classes in his own right, De La Hoya was named Fighter of the Year by The Ring magazine in 1995.

Jackie Edwards

Athletics

Five-time Olympian long jumper Jackie Edwards still holds the indoor and outdoor long jump records at Stanford University. A former silver medallist at the Commonwealth Games, since competing at her final Olympics in Beijing in 2008, Edwards has gone on to establish Tootsies, high-quality compression socks for pregnant women that are designed to alleviate the discomfort of swollen legs.

In addition, Edwards created the Tootsies Fit Club, which is aimed at encouraging women to have healthy pregnancies by providing them with exercise and nutritional information.

Kumar Sangakkara

Cricket

Kumar Sangakkara is regarded as one of the best wicket-keeper-batsmen of all time. The former Sri Lanka captain helped his country win the 2014 ICC World Twenty20 and reach four other World Cup finals across One Day and Twenty20 cricket.

A self-proclaimed foodie, since retiring from the sport, Sangakkara and former teammate Mahela Jayawardene founded Ministry of Crab, a successful restaurant chain that has consistently been listed as one of the best restaurants in Asia. Last year, Sangakkara co-founded esports company Behaviol, which has already secured $2.5m (£1.9m) in seed funding.

Shaun White

Snowboarding

As the world record holder for the most gold medals at the X Games and most Olympic gold medals (three) by a snowboarder, Shaun White is an absolute legend of the sport. With a net worth of $65m (£51m), he’s also a legend in the business world.

White launched his first video game franchise, Shaun White Snowboarding, in 2008, purchased a minority stake in the California-based skiing and snowboarding resort, Mammoth Resorts, in 2016, and part owns several other resorts. He also owns an active lifestyle called Whitespace and even took ownership of the Air + Style festival of music and snowboarding.

Derek Redmond

Athletics

The former British 400m record holder, Derek Redmond won gold in the 4×400 men’s relay at the 1991 World Championships in Tokyo but was forced to retire a few years later due to injury. Since retiring, Redmond has bounced back from bankruptcy twice, working as a motivational speaker, business coach, trainer, and author for more than 25 years.

He also spent six years as Group Performance Director of Thomas International, although many will know him today as an Auctioneer on Channel 4’s The Greatest Auction.

Venus Williams

Tennis

With seven Grand Slam singles titles, including five at Wimbledon, and 14 major doubles titles, Venus Williams is one of the best to ever pick up a racket. And like her younger sister Serena, she has also been very active outside of the sport. Venus founded a full-service commercial and residential design firm called V Starr in 2002 and launched an activewear and lifestyle brand, EleVen in 2012.

The tennis legend has a plant-based protein company called Happy Viking, works as Asutra’s Chief Brand Officer, and joined Topsin Consumer Partners as an Operating Partner earlier this year.   

Marques Harris

American Football

Former linebacker Marques Harris spent five seasons in the NFL, playing 60 games for the LA Chargers. But after his NFL career came to a premature end, Harris returned to his native Colorado to build a successful real estate business.

Harris is also the Co-Founder and Operator of the real estate investment marketplace Pi Legacy Holdings, a distinguished public speaker, life coach, and the President of Athletes for CARE, a community of athletes that use their influence to improve health standards for athletes around the world.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Football

Regarded by many as the greatest footballer to have ever lived, Cristiano Ronaldo has scored more than 800 career goals, won the Ballon d’Or five times, and won Euro 2016 with his native Portugal. But his incredible net worth of $500m (£395m) comes from much more than football.

From a luxury hotel chain to clothing and perfume brands, Ronaldo has stakes in restaurants and fitness centres and even owns a hair clinic and a private jet rental business. One of his more surprising, but reportedly most profitable, business ventures is a paint store he owns with his brother.

Michelle Brooke-Marciniak

Basketball

A former point guard in the WNBA Michelle Brooke-Marciniak led the Tennessee Lady Vols to their fourth National Championship in 1996 and was named MVP in the Final Four of that same season. Marciniak also spent five years as the assistant coach at the University of South Carolina but got her start in business after co-founding bed linen company SHEEX in 2008.

The company, which supplies bedding and sleepwear that is designed to help with sleep and recovery, is now a multi-million-dollar firm that is stocked in stores across North America.

Robbie Fowler

Football

Back in 2021, the Daily Star reported that former Liverpool player Robbie Fowler’s net worth had reached £31m. A big reason for this is Fowler’s vast property portfolio, which reportedly consists of more than 80 properties, although Robbie Fowler Sports Promotions is also said to be worth around £2m. His other ventures include investments in several racehorses with former Liverpool teammate Steve McManaman.

Nicknamed “God” by the red half of Merseyside, Fowler scored 183 goals and won five major trophies across two spells at Anfield.

Maria Sharapova

Tennis

Many Brits will remember Maria Sharapova for her upset victory over Serena Williams at Wimbledon in 2004, aged just 17. The five-time Grand Slam champion and the only Russian to win all four majors, Sharapova is one of the best tennis players of her generation.

An equally shrewd businesswoman, Sharapova launched her confectionary brand Sugarpova in 2012 and, according to a report by The Sun from earlier this year, the business is now worth £150m. The former tennis star sits on the board at fashion brand Moncler and has invested in various wellness and beauty brands, such as Bala Bangles and Supergoop.

Yuvraj Singh

Cricket

Yuvraj Singh launched his investment company, YouWeCan Ventures, in 2015 whilst still playing for the Indian national cricket side. He has gone on to invest in a variety of tech start-ups, including Healthians, which provides lab test services at home, and online restaurant reservation platform EazyDiner, amongst others.

Away from his role helping various Indian start-ups to get off the ground, Singh is best known as a formidable left-handed batsman. In the 2007 World Twenty20, he famously hit English seamer Stuart Broad for six sixes, whilst he became the first player to take a five-wicket haul and score a 50 in the same World Cup match at the 2011 World Cup.

Wayne Gretzky

Ice Hockey

Widely considered the best to ever lace up a pair of skates, ice hockey legend Wayne Gretzky held 61 NHL records at the time of his retirement in 1999 and remains the leading goal scorer, assist producer, and point scorer in NHL history.

Since retiring, Gretzky has forged an impressive business career, investing in two ice hockey teams, the Phoenix Coyotes and Hull Olympiques, and the Canadian football team the Toronto Argonauts. A Partner with sports equipment manufacturer First Team Sports, Gretzky, who has a net worth of $250m (£197m), also owns restaurants and a winery.

John Eales

Rugby

A legend of Australian rugby, John Eales won two Rugby World Cups with his country, captaining the team to victory in 1999. Nicknamed “Nobody” because “Nobody’s perfect”, the former lock is the highest-scoring forward in Test rugby history with 173 points for the Wallabies.

Shortly after leaving the sports, Eales founded Mettle Group, an HR consultancy which was acquired by Chandler Macleod in 2008. He also founded John Eales 5, which is now a part of International Quarterback. An active investor, Eales has also served as a Non-Executive Director in various ASX-listed companies and is currently a director at global impact firm Palladium.

Katie Warner Johnson

Ballet

Katie Warner Johnson is the Co-Founder and CEO of Carbon38, the multi-brand women’s activewear retailer. Carbon38 was founded in November 2013 and Johnson successfully grew the company by 500% in 2015.

To date, the multi-million-dollar retailer has raised just shy of $40m (£31m) in funding and supplies more than 80 global brands. Prior to setting up her business, Johnson trained to be a professional ballet dancer, performed in several national tours on Broadway and worked as a fitness instructor.

John Elway

American Football

Denver Broncos legend John Elway is widely regarded as one of the best quarterbacks to ever play American Football. Winning the Super Bowl twice with the Broncos, Elway also served as the franchise’s General Manager when they won Super Bowl 50.

In the business world, the NFL legend has shown himself to be equally formidable. Elway owned several car dealerships in the 1990s but sold some of them to AutoNation Inc. in 1997 for $82.5m (£65m). The former owner of Arena Football Team Colorado Crush, he also has a chain of steakhouse restaurants, called Elway’s, spread across his native Colorado.

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Bodybuilding

Although most people today know Arnold Schwarzenegger for his iconic Hollywood roles and his stint as the Governor of California, the bodybuilding great and seven-time Mr. Olympia winner was a millionaire before he got his big break in the acting world.

His first business venture was a bricklaying business, the profits of which he used to start a mail-order business for bodybuilding equipment. Next up was a real estate business, which Schwarzenegger used to become a multi-millionaire before the age of 25. Today, he has more than 100 business ventures, multiple property holding companies, and an estimated net worth of $450m (£355m).  

Ion Țiriac

Tennis

Back in 1991, the Ion Țiriac Bank was founded, the first private bank in post-Communist Romania. When Țiriac sold his 45% stake in the company to UniCredit back in 2015, the bank was Romania’s fourth largest in terms of assets, with €6.45bn (£5.6bn) worth. Thanks to a wealth of other business enterprises, which includes auto dealerships and a charter airline firm, his estimated net worth is an incredible $2bn (£1.58bn).

But prior to becoming one of Romania’s richest people, Țiriac won the doubles title at the 1970 French Open. He also played ice hockey for his country at the 1964 Winter Olympics.