The Los Angeles Clippers got two superstars last summer. However, that’s not the only reason the team is in sports news headlines these days. Its owner Steve Ballmer is on top of the richest sports team owners list in 2019.
The Clippers are the favorites to win the NBA championship this year. On top of that, its team owner is the richest team owner for the fifth year in a row. In fact, he is ninth among all Americans.
Ballmer’s net worth is $51.4 billion, which is up from $9.4 billion. His net value went up due to the 21 percent gain of Microsoft shares in the last year. He is in a different league compared to other names in the richest sports team owners list, according to the best pay per head.
Richest Sports Team Owners Reported by Pay Per Head
Most sports team owners increase their net worth due to increasing franchise values. However, there’s no one to compare to Steve Ballmer. The former Microsoft CEO’s wealth is four times that of the second richest team owner. In fact, his net worth increase is more than the total net worth of all owners, except for three. He didn’t need to be a bookie online to make that money.
Ballmer became a team owner when he acquired the LA Clippers in 2014 for $2 billion. From the bottom-dwelling team, he transformed the Clippers into a first-class franchise. At present, the team is constructing a privately-funded arena in Inglewood with a budget of at least $1 billion.
There are 42 team owners who are part of the Forbes 400 list. They have a total net worth of $247 billion. The second person on the list is David Tepper of the Carolina Panthers. He became the richest NFL owner after the death of Paul Allen last October 2018.
The third richest team owner is Phil Anschutz, who owns the LA Galaxy and Los Angeles Kings. That makes him the richest NHL and MLS owner, according to pay per head reviews and news sites.