$152.5 billion! Ballmer remains the richest owner in North American sports: Three NBA owners in the top five

On August 26th Beijing time, US media Boardroom cited Forbes data to reveal the top five wealthiest team owners in North American professional sports leagues. Clippers owner Ballmer unsurprisingly ranks first, with a net worth reaching $152.5 billion. Two other NBA team owners also made it into the top five.

Second place goes to Walton (and family), owner of the NFL’s Denver Broncos, with a net worth of $119 billion. Miriam Adelson (and family), owner of the Dallas Mavericks, ranks third with $35.5 billion. Fourth is Cavaliers owner Daniel Gilbert, whose assets total $26.7 billion. Tied for fifth are Steve Cohen, owner of MLB’s New York Mets, and David Tepper, owner of the NFL’s Carolina Panthers and MLS’s Charlotte FC, each with $21.3 billion.

Three years ago, Ballmer also topped the list of the wealthiest owners, with a net worth of $92 billion at that time. In just three years, his fortune has increased by at least $60 billion.

Boardroom noted: In 1980, Ballmer dropped out of Stanford University and joined Microsoft as employee number 30. Twenty years later, he rose through the ranks to become Microsoft’s CEO. In 2014, he purchased the Los Angeles Clippers for a then-record $2 billion. Since then, the team’s value has nearly doubled to $5.4 billion.

The Clippers finished last season with a 50-32 regular-season record and lost 3-4 to the Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs. For the new season, the Clippers will have a deeper roster, having added stars like Beal, Paul, Collins, and Big Lo, joining Harden and Kawhi to chase the championship.