Being a billionaire must be great. There is no stress about paying rent (or, in their cases, mortgages), booking flights (or in their case chartering jets or firing up their private jets), or paying the bills. I mean the stress that would remove is truly invaluable. But that is where billionaires are different from us. They don't really have to make choices – summer in the Mediterranean and buy a new house on the water in Hawaii? No problem. Buy a Porsche and a football team? Not an issue. In fact, owning professional sports franchises is a luxury that is exclusive to the billionaires club. The top 20 richest owners of major league sports teams have a combined net worth of nearly $183 billion.
For some billionaire team owners, one isn't enough. L.A. Rams owner Stanley Kroenke, the real estate mogul married to a Walmart heiress owns five teams in four different sports in the U.S. and U.K. Buffalo Bills owner Terrence Pegula also owns the NHL's Buffalo Sabres. Charles Dolan and his heirs own the NBA's New York Knicks and the NHL's New York Rangers. Arthur Blank owns both Atlanta's NFL and MLS franchises. Robert Kraft owns the NFL and MLS franchises for Boston. Philip Anschutz owns the NHL's Los Angeles Kings and the MLS's L.A. Galaxy.
From football to basketball to hockey and beyond, let's take a look at the 20 richest owners of major sports league teams.
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#20. Robert Pera
Team: Memphis Grizzlies (NBA)
Net worth: $2.1 billion
Source of wealth: Wireless broadband systems, self-made
#19. Tom Gores
Team: Detroit Pistons (NBA)
Net worth: $2.9 billion
Source of wealth: Private equity, self-made
#18. Tilman Fertitta
Team: Houston Rockets (NBA)
Net worth: $3.1 billion
Source of wealth: Entertainment, self-made
#17. Henry Samueli
Team: Anaheim Ducks (NHL)
Net worth: $3.8 billion
Source of wealth: Semiconductors, self-made
#14. (tie). Stephen Bisciotti
Team: Baltimore Ravens (NFL)
Net worth: $4 billion
Source of wealth: Staffing, self-made
#14. (tie) Charles Dolan and family
Team: New York Knicks (NBA), New York Rangers (NHL)
Net worth; $4 billion
Source of wealth: Cable television, self-made
#14. Arthur Blank
Team: Atlanta Falcons (NFL), Atlanta United FC (MLS)
Net worth: $4 billion
Source of wealth: Home Depot, self-made
#13. Daniel Gilbert
Team: Cleveland Cavaliers (NBA)
Net worth: $4.2 billion
Source of wealth: Quicken Loans, self-made
#12. Terrence Pegula
Team: Buffalo Bills (NFL), Buffalo Sabres (NHL)
Net worth: $4.6 billion
Source of wealth: Natural gas, self-made
#11. Ted Lerner and family
Team: Washington Nationals (MLB)
Net worth: $5.5 billion
Source of wealth: Real estate, self-made
#10. Jerry Jones
Team: Dallas Cowboys (NFL)
Net worth: $5.6 billion
Source of wealth: Oil, Dallas Cowboys, self-made
#8. (tie) Robert Kraft
Net worth: $6.2 billion
Teams: New England Patriots (NFL), New England Revolution (MLS)
Source of wealth: The Kraft Group, self-made
#8. (tie) Micky Arison, United States
Team: Miami Heat (NBA)
Net worth: $6.2 billion
Source of wealth: Carnival Cruises
#7. Charles Johnson
Team: San Francisco Giants (MLB)
Net worth: $6.7 billion
Source of wealth: Money management
#6. Shahid Khan
Team: Jacksonville Jaguars (NFL)
Net worth: $7.5 billion
Source of wealth: Auto parts, self-made
#4. (tie) Stephen Ross, United States
Team: Miami Dolphins (NFL)
Net worth: $7.7 billion
Source of wealth: Real estate, self-made
#4. (tie) Stanley Kroenke
Team: Los Angeles Rams (NFL), Colorado Avalanche (NHL), Denver Nuggets (NBA), Colorado Rapids (MLS), Arsenal (Premier League)
Net worth: $7.7 billion
Source of wealth: Real estate, sports, self-made
#3. Philip Anschutz
Teams: Los Angeles Kings (NHL), LA Galaxy (MLS)
Net worth: $11 billion
Source of wealth: Investments
#2. David Tepper
Team: Carolina Panthers (NFL)
Net worth: $12 billion
Source of wealth: Hedge funds, self-made
#1. Steve Ballmer
Team: Los Angeles Clippers (NBA)
Net worth: $45 billion
Source of wealth: Microsoft, self-made
