10 Athletes Who Made More Money After They Retired

10 Athletes Who Made More Money After Retiring

George Foreman turns 63 today. The big man is a role model for former athletes struggling with post-retirement, because while many ballers are known for pissing away millions on girls, booze and drugs, George is now as famous for caking up off his line of indoor grills as he is for going toe-to-toe with Muhammad Ali in the Rumble in the Jungle. These are the guys that did it right after they hung it up (with the exception of Lenny Dykstra). You already know the usual suspects: Mike, Magic, Oscar. But what about former soccer player Dave Whelan or NFL legend Jim Brown? So, fire up that Foreman Grill and check out the 10 Athletes Who Made More Money After They Retired.

Lenny Dykstra

10. Lenny Dykstra

Career Earnings: $36.5M
Net Worth (peak): $58M
Sport: Baseball

Most of us peeped that HBO "Real Sports" profile on Lenny in 2009. We ate that shit up. He was even appearing on Fox Business shows and getting Jim Cramer co-signs. Around that time he was worth $50 million or better, owned a few car wash joints, and was buying stocks like they were going out of style. These days? Oh nothing, just facing grand theft auto charges while on house arrest for bankruptcy fraud. All stemming from Nails buying Gretzky's old mansion for $17 million to flip, and taking on a loan he couldn't afford. So yeah, he made more money after he retired. Apparently lost it, too. Dykstra's net worth today? $-25 million.

Jim Brown

9. Jim Brown

Career Earnings: Roughly $400,000
Net Worth Now: $50M
Sport: Football

Jim Brown is the greatest football player to ever play and he hung it up in his prime to pursue acting. Looks like he made the right choice. When he retired he led in just about every statistical category and was the highest paid player at a whopping $60,000 a year (hard to give that up, right?). Brown became the first black action star appearing in The Dirty Dozen and cult favorites like Three the Hard Way and I'm Gonna Git You Sucka. He's also written several books, has been an activist for equality, and was a paid consultant for the Cleveland Browns for a couple years.

Nolan Ryan

8. Nolan Ryan

Career Earnings: $25.7M
Net Worth Now: $60M
Sport: Baseball

While most know him for his 23-year career of head-hunting and throwing no-hitters, Ryan is a savvy businessman. He spent his money wisely by copping a couple minor league teams, a bank, and a restaurant (he picked up a few endorsements after he retired, too). Eventually he gathered up enough cash to be an owner of the Texas Rangers and has built a squad that's made it to two-straight World Series. He and his partners bought the Rangers for $570 million. Now that's paper.

The Rock

7. The Rock

Career Earnings: Roughly $40M
Net Worth Now: $65M
Sport: Wrestling

The Rock started out as a defensive line standout at the University of Miami before injuries shattered his football dreams. He decided to follow in his father's footsteps and join the WWE. After blowing up and becoming "The Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment," The Rock moved to bigger and better things. His $5.5 million salary for The Scorpion King made him the highest paid rookie actor in history. He was in some hits and he was in some flops, but he managed to make himself into a household name and turned that into an encore with the WWE that's sure to help his wallet even more.

Muhammad Ali

6. Muhammad Ali

Career Earnings: $65M
Net Worth Now: $80M
Sport: Boxing

Ali was one of the first big money draws in sports. He made a ton of money and lost a ton by mishandling investments and trusting the wrong people. Muhammad finally smartened up and lent his name and image to certain companies. He's now pulling in a million a year through various endorsements and earned his money back plus interest. He has so much juice he negotiated with Saddam Hussein to free Americans during Desert Storm.

Oscar De La Hoya

5. Oscar De La Hoya

Career Earnings: $150M
Net Worth Now: $175M
Sport: Boxing

This one's a little tricky. Oscar made a lot of money on the back end of his career thanks to big money fights against Pacquiao and Mayweather; he was basically done by then. He cashed in then threw in the towel. Nowadays he's running the top boxing promotions company and running it well. Golden Boy Promotions consistently puts out fights fans want to see and he put fellow boxers, Bernard Hopkins, Shane Mosley, and Marco Antonio Barrera down as partners. The Golden Boy has a lot more cash to make.

George Foreman

4. George Foreman

Career Earnings: $83M
Net Worth Now: $250M
Sport: Boxing

After a hall of fame career that began in 1969, George Foreman was flat broke by the late '80s. He then returned to the ring (1987-1997) to get his cake back up and had an impressive run at 45-years old with a 31-3 record capped off by knocking out Michael Moorer. Foreman flipped his newfound fame into the Lean, Mean Grilling Machine when he sold the rights to his name to Salton Inc. in 1999. He also hustled Meineke Mufflers, wrote a couple books, and commentated for HBO Boxing.

Dave Whelan

3. Dave Whelan

Career Earnings: £20 a week
Net Worth Now: £190M
Sport: Soccer

Dave Whelan is a hustler's poster child. Dave had his soccer career shortened by an ugly leg injury in 1960. His club, the Blackburn Rovers, gave him £400 and told him to keep it moving. With that same money he bought a small grocery chain and sold it for £1.5 million. He then flipped that into a fishing store and turned it into the second largest sporting goods retailer in Great Britain. Whelan sold his share in JJB Sports for £190 million and bought his hometown team, Wigan Athletic. Wigan was a Division Three team when David bought the club, now they're in the Premier League just like he promised when he first purchased the team. That's how you go from nothing to something.

Magic Johnson

2. Magic Johnson

Career Earnings: $46M
Net Worth Now: $500M
Sport: Basketball

Magic did quite well for himself after retiring early. Magic signed a 25-year, $25 million contract before the 1981-1982 season, making it the richest contract in sports at the time. He eventually restructured his deal around '88 to catch up with the times and when he came out of retirement in '95-'96, Jerry Buss took care of his boy and signed him to a multi-year, $14 million deal. Johnson turned his career earnings of approximately $46 million into $500 million by revitalizing urban neighborhoods. Magic invested in Starbucks before it was cool and put Best Buys and AMC Magic Johnson Theaters in urban areas in order to create jobs. Almost forgot, he owned a piece of the Lakers. If that ain't a hustla, whatchu call that?

Michael Jordan

1. Michael Jordan

Career Earnings: $90.20M
Net Worth Now: $500M
Sport: Basketball

Mike pimped the game like no one before him. What didn't he do? After Magic and Bird retired, he single-handedly saved the NBA and made it global. He set records in player salaries with his $30 million one-year contracts with the Bulls during the 1997 and 1998 seasons. He turned the Jordan name into a billion dollar company. His sneakers are as sought after as they were when he was playing. He's still spending Gatorade money. And last, but not least, His Airness stacked his bread and bought the Charlotte Bobcats. The King.