The 20 richest billionaire sports team owners

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The 20 richest billionaire sports team owners

steve ballmer

Jeff Gross/Getty Images

Steve Ballmer owns the Los Angeles Clippers.

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  • Billionaires often make extravagant purchases - like buying their own sports team.
  • CEOWORLD magazine recently ranked the 20 wealthiest owners of major league sports teams around the world.
  • Some billionaire owners own more than one team - like Paul Allen, who owns the Portland Trail Blazers and the Seattle Seahawks.

Billionaires have a lot of cash to drop. Some are known to spend it on mansions. Others, private planes and luxury cars. And others still? They just buy their own sports team.

CEOWORLD magazine recently ranked the 20 wealthiest owners of major league sports teams using Forbes' World's Billionaires ranking. They found that of the 62 billionaire team owners around the world, their collected net worth is $375 billion. And for some, one team isn't enough - together, they own 78 teams.

In fact, three among the top five richest billionaire sports team owners own multiple teams, Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen among them. Dietrich Mateschitz and Stanley Kroenke own the most teams on the list, with three and four each, respectively. Only one woman makes the list: Marian Ilitch, the cofounder of Little Caesars Pizza.

From football to basketball, here's a look at the 20 richest owners of major sports league teams.

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20. Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, Thailand

20. Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, Thailand

Net worth: $5 billion

Team: Leicester City

Source of wealth: Duty-free, self-made

19. Joe Lewis, United Kingdom

19. Joe Lewis, United Kingdom

Net worth: $5.1 billion

Team: Tottenham Hotspur

Source of wealth: Investments, self-made

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18. Marian Ilitch, United States

18. Marian Ilitch, United States

Net worth: $5.2 billion

Teams: Detroit Red Wings, Detroit Tigers

Source of wealth: Little Caesars Pizza, self-made

17. Richard DeVos & family, United States

17. Richard DeVos & family, United States

Net worth: $5.4 billion

Team: Orlando Magic

Source of wealth: Amway, self-made

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16. Jerry Jones, United States

16. Jerry Jones, United States

Net worth: $5.6 billion

Team: Dallas Cowboys

Source of wealth: Dallas Cowboys, self-made

15. Charles Johnson, United States

15. Charles Johnson, United States

Net worth: $5.6 billion

Team: San Francisco Giants

Source of wealth: Money management

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14. Robert Kraft, United States

14. Robert Kraft, United States

Net worth: $6.2 billion

Teams: New England Patriots, New England Revolution

Source of wealth: The Kraft Group, self-made

13. Daniel Gilbert, United States

13. Daniel Gilbert, United States

Net worth: $6.3 billion

Team: Cleveland Cavaliers

Source of wealth: Quicken Loans, self-made

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12. Shahid Khan, United States

12. Shahid Khan, United States

Net worth: $7.2 billion

Team: Jacksonville Jaguars

Source of wealth: Auto parts, self-made

11. Stephen Ross, United States

11. Stephen Ross, United States

Net worth: $7.6 billion

Team: Miami Dolphins

Source of wealth: Real estate, self-made

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10. Stanley Kroenke, United States

10. Stanley Kroenke, United States

Net worth: $8.3 billion

Teams: Los Angeles Rams, Arsenal, Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche

Source of wealth: Sports and real estate, self-made

9. Mikhail Prokhorov, Russia

9. Mikhail Prokhorov, Russia

Net worth: $9.6 billion

Team: Brooklyn Nets

Source of wealth: Investments, self-made

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8. Micky Arison, United States

8. Micky Arison, United States

Net worth: $9.7 billion

Team: Miami Heat

Source of wealth: Carnival Cruises

7. Roman Abramovich, Russia

7. Roman Abramovich, Russia

Net worth: $10.8 billion

Team: Chelsea FC

Source of wealth: Steel and investments, self-made

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6. Hasso Plattner & family, Germany

6. Hasso Plattner & family, Germany

Net worth: $12.7 billion

Team: San Jose Sharks

Source of wealth: Software, self-made

5. Philip Anschutz, United States

5. Philip Anschutz, United States

Net worth: $13 billion

Teams: Los Angeles Kings, LA Galaxy

Source of wealth: Investments

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4. Paul Allen, United States

4. Paul Allen, United States

Net worth: $21.7 billion

Teams: Portland Trail Blazers, Seattle Seahawks

Source of wealth: Microsoft and investments, self-made

3. Dietrich Mateschitz, Austria

3. Dietrich Mateschitz, Austria

Net worth: $23 billion

Teams: New York Red Bulls, Red Bull Racing, Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda

Source of wealth: Red Bull, self-made

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2. Steve Ballmer, United States

2. Steve Ballmer, United States

Net worth: $38.4 billion

Team: Los Angeles Clippers

Source of wealth: Microsoft, self-made

1. Mukesh Ambani, India

1. Mukesh Ambani, India

Net worth: $40.1 billion

Team: Mumbai Indians

Source of wealth: Petrochemicals and oil/gas

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