Michael Schumacher is one of the greatest and most successful F1 drivers of all time. He became a legend during his time with Ferrari, winning five Drivers’ Championships with the Maranello-based outfit. Back in 2002, he was arguably one of the biggest names in sports, ahead of some pretty legendary figures.
NBA players are among the world’s richest athletes on most occasions. Today, the likes of LeBron James and Stephen Curry are right up there as one of the highest-paid sportspeople in the world. However, back in 2002, Shaquille O’Neal was the real deal in the NBA. The 7″1 former-center played for some of the biggest teams in the NBA like the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics.
He’s a big fan! ❤️
Great to see you at the race, @SHAQ 🙌#AbuDhabiGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/0EuvzmCqXK
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 21, 2022
O’Neal won the NBA Title four times and is a 15-time all-star in the league. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest centers and basketball players of all time. On top of that, he was very highly paid, and his popularity meant that his presence was a commercial boost for any team he was part of. However, the Newark-born former basketballer was not the most valuable athlete in the world during his prime years. In fact, he was third in the list.
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Michael Schumacher ranked ahead of Shaquille O’Neal and Tiger Woods
In a list released by Report On Business Magazine back in 2002, the most valuable athletes in the world were ranked in order. O’Neal was third on the list, with his net worth being $29.4 million. Ahead of him was golf legend Tiger Woods, who had a net worth of $69 million.
The gap between O’Neal and Woods was huge, but not as big as the one between O’Neal and Schumacher. The legendary F1 driver had a net worth of $80 million, which was $50.6 more than O’Neal’s.
Shaq’s back, baby! #USGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/AXsUy8ARfO
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 23, 2022
Schumacher was already a five-time World Champion back in 2002, which made him the most successful in F1 history already. However, the German driver went on to win two more World Championships in 2003 and 2004 respectively, which forever etched his name in the history books. Till this date, no driver has won more World Championships than him. Mercedes starlet Lewis Hamilton is tied with him at seven.
