Vince McMahon bought the WWWF from his father in 1982, created WrestleMania and absorbed rival WCW in 2001, building WWE into the world's largest pro-wrestling promotion.
Magic Johnson won five NBA titles with the Lakers, then used the business lessons of owner Jerry Buss to become an executive and part owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Michael Jordan turned six NBA titles into a business empire: Jordan Brand generates about $1 billion in sales for Nike, and he became the NBA's first billionaire player in 2014.
Steve Ballmer succeeded Bill Gates as Microsoft CEO in 2000, tripled sales over 14 years, then bought the Los Angeles Clippers and co-founded the Ballmer Group.
Mark Cuban sold Broadcast.com to Yahoo! to become a billionaire, then bought the Dallas Mavericks and led them to the 2011 NBA title. He was a Shark Tank investor from 2012 to 2025.
