Who is the world's richest sports team owner? You won't believe who number 1 is

Despite making Ronaldo the world's highest-paid athlete, the Saudi billionaires failed to make the list of the world's richest sports team owners in 2024.

Forbes has unveiled its much-anticipated list of the world's wealthiest sports team owners for 2024.

The rich-list showcased a diverse array of individuals across various sporting divides.

While the spotlight shines on notable figures from the NBA, NFL, NHL, and MLS, some surprising omissions raised eyebrows, notably the absence of Saudi Arabia's Pro League club owners from the roster.

Saudi Owners overlooked despite High-Profile Signings

Despite their high-profile acquisitions in the football world, including Cristiano Ronaldo's move to Al Nassr, Karim Benzema's switch to Al Ittihad, and Neymar's mega-money transfer to Al Hilal, Forbes' billionaires list saw zero representation from Saudi Arabia's football club owners.

In December 2022, Ronaldo reportedly signed a groundbreaking deal with Al Nassr, catapulting him to the title of the world's highest-paid athlete.

However, despite brokering this incredible deal, the Public Investment Fund (PIF) who own Al Nassr, Al Ittihad, Al Hilal and also Premier League club, Newcastle, failed to secure a spot behind these ventures, on Forbes' coveted list.

Pulse Sports ranked the PIF as the no.1 richest football club owners in the world.

Forbes' Exclusionary Criteria: A Matter of Sovereign Wealth

The absence of PIF and its associated clubs reflects Forbes' stringent policy against measuring sovereign wealth, thus bypassing entities like the Public Investment Fund, chaired by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Despite the formidable assets of over $924 billion as of March 2024, as per figures from Global SWF and SWF institute, Forbes' methodology stands firm in excluding sovereign wealth entities from its rankings.

This year also, Forbes adjusted its methodology to exclude teams owned by public companies and, therefore, their shareholders.

This adjustment now meant that Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani, who owns the Mumbai Indians cricket team through his publicly traded conglomerate Reliance Industries, failed to make the list entirely having sat at no.1 in 2023.

SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son, owner of Japanese baseball's Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, was left off for the same reason, as well as teams owned by giant private conglomerates, including Red Bull's Formula 1 team and INEOS' Manchester United and OGC Nice.

Steve Ballmer: Microsoft Titan and LA Clippers owner named Richest sports team owner in 2024 by Forbes

Towering above the competition, former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer emerges as the world's wealthiest sports team owner for 2024, boasting a staggering net worth of $121 Billion USD.

Ballmer's ownership of the Los Angeles Clippers, coupled with his visionary investments in the team's future, solidifies his reign atop Forbes' esteemed list.

In 2014, the former Microsoft CEO purchased the Clippers for a then-record $2 Billion USD, a move that was widely seen as an overpay at the time.

However, Forbes had most recently valued the Clippers at $575 million.

Next year, one of his crowning achievements will come to fruition, when the Clippers finally move into their new home, the $2 billion Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.

This state-of-the-art venue has reportedly been selected to host the 2026 NBA All-Star Game.

Despite the enormous bills Ballmer has racked up in a decade of team ownership, it has barely dented his hefty fortune.

His 50% year-over-year wealth increase, primarily due to the stellar stock performance of Microsoft, has once again made Ballmer the richest sports team owner in the world.

Revealed: Top 10 Richest Sports Team Owners on Forbes' 2024 List

Below is a list of the Top 10 Richest Sports Team owners in the world as of 2024 via figures from Forbes.

The NBA is the most represented league on this year's list, with nine owners claiming spots.

1. Steve Ballmer (Net Worth) - $121 Billion

Team: Los Angeles Clippers (Basketball)

Source of Wealth: Microsoft

Net Worth: $121 billion USD

2. Rob Walton & family (Net Worth) - $77.4 Billion

Team: Denver Broncos (American Football)

Source of Wealth: Walmart

Net Worth: $77.4 billion USD

3. Miriam Adelson & family - $32 Billion

Team: Dallas Mavericks (Basketball)

Source of Wealth: Casinos

Net Worth: $32 billion USD

4. François Pinault & family - $31.6 Billion

Team: Stade Rennais F.C. (Soccer)

Source of Wealth: Luxury Goods

Net Worth: $31.6 billion USD

5. Daniel Gilbert - $26.2 Billion

Team: Cleveland Cavaliers (Basketball)

Source of Wealth: Quicken Loans

Net Worth: $26.2 billion USD

6. David Tepper - $20.6 Billion

Teams: Carolina Panthers (American Football), Charlotte FC (Soccer)

Source of Wealth: Hedge funds

Net Worth: $20.6 billion USD

7. Steve Cohen - $19.8 Billion

Team: New York Mets (Baseball)

Source of Wealth: Hedge funds

Net Worth: $19.8 billion USD

8. Stan Kroenke - $16.2 Billion

Teams: Los Angeles Rams (American Football), Denver Nuggets (Basketball), Colorado Avalanche (Ice Hockey), Colorado Rapids (Soccer), Arsenal FC (Soccer), Arsenal Women's FC (Soccer)

Source of Wealth: Sports, Real Estate

Net Worth: $16.2 billion USD

9. Philip Anschutz - $15.3 Billion

Teams: Los Angeles Kings (Ice Hockey), LA Galaxy (Soccer)

Source of Wealth: Energy, Sports, Entertainment

Net Worth: $15.3 billion USD

10. Henry Samueli - $14.1 Billion

Team: Anaheim Ducks (Ice Hockey)

Source of Wealth: Semiconductors

Net Worth: $14.1 billion USD