10 billionaires who own sports teams

Ballmer, who is worth $147 billion, bought the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers in 2014, the same year he left Microsoft, paying $2 billion, setting a record at the time for the sale of a professional basketball team.

Rob Walton, worth $84.6 billion, is one of three children of Walmart and Sam's Club founder Sam Walton.

Along with his daughter Carrie Walton Penner, her husband and Walmart chairman Greg Penner, and Mellody Hobson, co-CEO of Ariel Investments, paid $4.65 billion for the Denver Broncos football franchise in 2022.

“Having lived and worked in Colorado, we have always admired the Broncos,” Walton said in a statement at the time. “Carrie, Greg and I are inspired by the opportunity to lead this great organization in a vibrant community full of opportunity and passionate fans.”

The sale broke the record for the most expensive sale of a professional sports team in North America to date, but has since been surpassed by the $6.1 billion sale of the Washington Commanders to a group led by private equity billionaire Josh Harris.

Gilbert, who is worth $29 billion, led a group that included Usher that bought the Cleveland Cavaliers basketball team for $375 million in 2005.

Tepper, the founder of global hedge fund Appaloosa Management, has a net worth of $19.8 billion. He purchased the Carolina Panthers in 2018 for $2.275 billion, which was a record for the NFL at the time.

He previously owned an estimated 5% stake in the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Tepper also owns Major League Soccer franchise Charlotte FC, for which he reportedly paid an estimated expansion fee of $325 million.

Hedge fund manager Steve Cohen, worth $13.9 billion, bought the New York Mets baseball team for a record $2.4 billion in 2020.

In 2012, he initially acquired an 8 percent limited partnership stake in the team for $40 million.

Kroenke, who made his $19.6 billion fortune from real estate and sports, owns several U.S. sports teams, including the Los Angeles Rams, an NFL team, and the Denver Nuggets, an NBA team. He also owns the Colorado Avalanche ice hockey team and the Colorado Rapids soccer club.

He also owns the English football clubs Arsenal FC and Arsenal Women's FC.

Anschutz, who is worth $19 billion, is the founder of the Anschutz Entertainment Group, which owns the Los Angeles Kings ice hockey team and the LA Galaxy soccer club.

Samueli, the founder of the semiconductor company Broadcom, is worth $15.1 billion. He and his wife Susan bought the Anaheim Ducks NHL franchise from the Walt Disney Company in 2005. The purchase price and terms of the deal were not made public.

Jones, who is worth $13.1 billion, bought the Dallas Cowboys in 1989 for $140 million. His investment has more than paid off: the football team is considered the most valuable in the world and has an estimated value of nine billion dollars.

Kraft, worth $8.17 billion, bought the The New England Patriots football team bought it in 1994 for $172 million.