Jordan Scores Again--as a Top Earner : Personal wealth: Basketball player leads Forbes list of athletes for a fourth consecutive year.

Michael Jordan was the top earner among athletes for the fourth consecutive year, increasing his annual income to $43.9 million from $30.01 million.

Jordan earned $3.9 million in salary and $40 million in outside income, Forbes estimates in its Dec. 19 issue. The magazine said he earned $36 million in 1993.

Jordan has made $170 million since 1990, the magazine said, and could become the first athlete ever listed in the Forbes 400 of wealthiest people.

Mike Tyson, out of prison and back in boxing, is second on the list at $40 million--all from winnings. He made $25 million from his one fight and $15 million in signing bonuses.

Deion Sanders, the only two-sport athlete, is third at $22.5 million. The outfielder and cornerback, who was 38th in 1994, made $16.5 million from salary and $6 million in endorsements.

Boxer Riddick Bowe, who was not listed in 1994, is fourth at $22.2 million, followed by basketball’s Shaquille O’Neal at $21.9 million, boxer George Foreman at $18 million and tennis player Andre Agassi at $16 million.

Jack Nicklaus is the top golfer, finishing eighth at $15.1 million, including just $600,000 in winnings.

Auto racer Michael Schumacher is ninth at $15 million and hockey’s Wayne Gretzky 10th at $14.5 million.

Cal Ripken Jr. is the top baseball player, finishing 16th at $11.2 million, including $4 million in endorsement income during the year he broke Lou Gehrig’s streak for most consecutive games played.

Last year, the top baseball player was Will Clark, in 37th place at $5.2 million.

Drew Bledsoe is the top-listed football player at $13.9 million.

Steffi Graf remained the only woman on the list, in 30th place at $7.5 million.

The list includes eight baseball players and eight football players, with Sanders counting for both sports. There are six basketball players, five boxers, five tennis players and four race car drivers.

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Prosperous Players

Here are the top 10 athletes who earned the most in 1995, as estimated by Forbes magazine in its Dec. 18 issue. The salary/winnings figure includes salary, prize money and earned incentive bonuses. Endorsement money includes earnings from licensing, appearances and exhibition fees. Figures are in millions.

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Name Sport Salary Endorse Total 1. Michael Jordan Basketball 3.9 40.0 43.9 2. Mike Tyson Boxing 40.0 0.0 40.0 3. Deion Sanders Football/Baseball 16.5 6.0 22.5 4. Riddick Bowe Boxing 22.0 0.2 22.2 5. Shaquille O’Neal Basketball 4.9 17.0 21.9 6. George Foreman Boxiing 10.0 8.0 18.0 7. Andre Agassi Tennis 3.0 13.0 16.0 8. Jack Nicklaus Golf 0.6 14.5 15.1 9. Michael Schumacher Auto Racing 10.0 15.0 10. Wayne Gretzky Ice Hockey 8.5 6.0 14.5

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