Elite sport stars don't tend to shy away when it comes to giving back. While many are incredibly generous, some take it one step further, devoting their time to philanthropic causes, acting as charitable ambassadors, and handing over huge chunks of their fortunes to the causes close to their hearts.
From David Beckham and Serena Williams to Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan, read on to discover some of the world's most generous athletes. All dollar values in US dollars.
One of UNICEF's best-known ambassadors, David Beckham has worked closely with the organisation for 17 years and has supported several of their high-profile campaigns.
The former soccer superstar has also given his time to a slew of other good causes over his long career, including the UK's NSPCC and Help For Heroes, and the Elton John AIDS Foundation. In fact, he and wife Victoria even have their own charity. The high-power couple registered the Victoria & David Beckham Charitable Trust in 2002, with the organisation providing support to unwell and disabled children.
Former world number one tennis player Maria Sharapova became a United Nations Development Programme Goodwill Ambassador in 2007. Her work with the UN has seen her particularly focus on the victims of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, and she has donated many thousands of dollars to survivors of the tragedy over the years.
In 2007, for example, she donated $100,000 (£74k) to eight UN development projects that supported young people who had been affected by the 1986 explosion. She has also founded and funded a $210,000 (£155k) scholarship via her own Maria Sharapova Foundation, which is aimed at students who live in areas that were affected by the tragedy.
Swimmer Michael Phelps founded his namesake charity in 2007 after receiving a $1 million (£736k) sponsor bonus. The Michael Phelps Foundation has gone on to achieve great things, including partnerships with the likes of the Special Olympics as well as the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
Thanks to the philanthropic Phelps, thousands of children across America have had access to swimming lessons, and have also been taught about water safety and healthy lifestyles. Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time, has won various accolades for his charitable work, including the AAFA’s Humanitarian of the Year in 2012.
Colin Kaepernick's American football career has been eclipsed only by the former San Francisco 49er's activism. The quarterback, who started the US National Anthem kneeling protests in 2016, directs much of his energy these days towards helping others and advocating for change.
To date, Kaepernick has donated well in excess of a million dollars to various charities and in 2016, set-up his own foundation, Know Your Rights Camp. In 2020, he donated $100,000 (£74k) to the organisation's COVID-19 Relief Fund.
Another former star of the San Francisco 49ers with a heart of gold is Richard Sherman. The cornerback, who now plays for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, channels much of his spare time into Blanket Coverage – The Richard Sherman Family Foundation.
Sherman launched the organisation in 2013 to provide students in low-income communities with everyday essentials such as school supplies and clothing. Since its launch, it has supported countless people with donations of computers, apparel, lunch debt relief, and more.
Derrick Rose may well be a New York Knick now but the basketball star still concentrates his philanthropic efforts on Chicago, where he grew up.
In 2014, Rose donated a million dollars to After School Matters, which provides out-of-school activities for teenagers in the Windy City. He finances Rose Scholars, a $400,000 (£295k) collage scholarship programme, and has also won plaudits by offering to pay for the funerals of Chicago gun-crime victims.
American footballer J. J. Watt is among the greatest defensive linesmen of all time, and his philanthropic endeavours put him up there with the charitable GOATs too.
On top of heartfelt acts of generosity, which includes funding the funerals of the victims of the Waukesha Christmas parade attack in winter 2021, the Arizona Cardinal has also donated over $6 million (£4.6m) to athletic programmes across the US via his eponymous charitable foundation. Watt also raised $41.6 million (£30.7m) in 2017 for the Hurricane Harvey relief effort, with the money distributed between eight non-profit organisations.
As the world's second-richest athlete, with an estimated fortune of $800 million (£591m), it's little surprise that Tiger Woods has given back in countless ways over the years.
The golf legend's TGR Foundation has been supporting the health, welfare, and education of children across America for 25 years, with over two million kids feeling the benefit of the charitable organisation. As well as encouraging children to nurture their passions, the TGF Foundation also works closely with educators to ensure they're equipped to help their students discover their true potential.
Baseball player Derek Jeter launched the Turn 2 Foundation while he was still in his rookie season with the New York Yankees. The organisation encourages kids in New York and Western Michigan to eschew drugs and alcohol, and 'turn to' healthy lifestyles instead.
Since launching it with his father Charles in 1996, Jeter's charity has raised more than $30 million (£22.2m), helping many thousands of young people get their lives on track.
South Korean figure skater Yuna Kim is a two-time Olympic gold medallist – and would probably bag a gold for charity work too. A former ambassador for UNICEF, Kim has made some seriously generous donations to the organisation over the years, as well as to numerous other charities.
Standout donations include $166,000 (£123k) to pay for school uniforms for low-income kids, $100,000 (£74k) to support people affected by the Philippines typhoon in 2014, and another $100,000 (£74k) to help survivors of the devastating Nepal earthquake in 2015.
Tennis icon Rafael Nadal has been praised for his charitable generosity over the years, supporting everything from the Elton John AIDS Foundation to the Laureus Sport For Good Foundation. He also founded his own charity in 2007: Fundación Rafa Nadal. The organisation raised $16 million (£11.8m) for pandemic relief in Spain, pledging to provide food for 25,000 needy people in Mallorca.
Prior to COVID-19, the tennis ace also came to the aid of the Balearic island he grew up on by donating $1.1 million (£813m) after the catastrophic floods of 2018.
Helping impoverished communities in his native Brazil is soccer star Neymar's main charitable concern. The iconic Paris Saint-Germain player launched his foundation, Instituto Projeto Neymar Jr., in 2014. The organisation funds programmes that empower people living in his hometown of Praia Grande, and Neymar recently donated almost a million dollars to support the battle against COVID-19 in the South American country.
NBA basketball star Jeremy Lin established his eponymous charitable foundation in 2011 and has been working tirelessly ever since to help it make a difference.
The charity's Be the Light initiative donated $1.4 million (£1m) to COVID relief efforts and also helped to raise awareness about Asian-American discrimination during the pandemic.
The highest-paid athlete of 2021, Irish mixed martial arts (MMA) star Conor McGregor earned $180 million (£133m) last year alone. And he certainly hasn't been keeping his impressive bank balance to himself.
McGregor donated over $1 million (£736m) to Irish hospitals at the peak of the pandemic, allowing staff to buy a reported 50,000 items of PPE. In 2019, he announced he was building eight houses for homeless families in his home county of Dublin, with the properties completed in spring 2020. McGregor has also given $500,000 (£368k) to a charity in the hometown of his rival Dustin Poirier; it was noted at the time that he opted not to donate to Poirier's own charity. As well as that, the MMA star has donated cash to support his childhood football team, Lourdes FC.
John Cena, the WWE icon-turned-Hollywood star, never misses an opportunity to give generously, in terms of both time and money.
As well as having helped hundreds of children's dreams come true via the Make-A-Wish Foundation, he has also donated millions to various other good causes, including the FitOps Foundation, which helps military veterans train to become personal trainers. In 2015, Cena was named the second-most charitable athlete in the world, beaten only by Cristiano Ronaldo.
Another NFL star quarterback with an exemplary record for philanthropy, Russell Wilson has been scoring highly on the charity front of late. The Seattle Seahawk was named the 2020 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year in a nod to his COVID-19 relief donation, which saw him and his wife, singer Ciara, donate one million meals to families in need.
Wilson also provided the $1.75 million (£1.3m) needed to fund a charter school, while the couple's Why Not You Foundation, which was launched in 2014, continues to go from strength to strength.
Former New York Giant Eli Manning has inspired real change over the course of his career. Between 2007 and 2009, the NFL star raised over $2.5 million (£1.9m) to build The Eli Manning Children's Clinics at the University of Mississippi Medical Center's Blair E. Batson Hospital for Children, which provides outpatient care to more than 75,000 kids a year.
Manning has also donated $2 million (£1.5m) in total to the University of Mississippi, his alma mater. Another charitable organisation that has felt the benefit of his generosity is Guiding Eyes for the Blind, a guide dog school, and he also signed up as volunteer in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
A veteran philanthropist, tennis legend Roger Federer launched his eponymous foundation in 2007 with the aim of promoting education in Africa. To date, the charity has spent $52 million (£38.4m) in 7,000 preschools and schools, with over 1.75 million children feeling the benefit.
The tennis star also stepped up magnificently during the pandemic, pledging a million dollars to fund meals for African students while their schools were closed. He also donated $1.1 million (£813k) to support struggling Swiss families.
Footballer Lionel Messi keeps himself very busy off the pitch thanks to his charity work. The sportsman launched the Leo Messi Foundation in 2007, which promotes health, education, and sport, with the overall goal of encouraging children to follow their dreams.
The Paris Saint-Germain forward is also a UNICEF ambassador, and has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to the organisation. During the pandemic, the soccer superstar donated $1.1 million (£813k) to a hospital in Barcelona, as well as to a medical centre in his hometown of Rosario, Argentina.
One of baseball's all-time best hitters, Carlos Beltrán has excelled in philanthropy too. His finest charitable moments include founding the Carlos Beltrán Baseball Academy, into which he has poured millions of dollars. This is aimed at kids aged between 14 and 18 years, and gives students a chance to learn from MLB stars.
Along with his wife Jessica, Beltrán started a relief fund for residents of Puerto Rico after the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria in 2017. This act of philanthropy later saw him named the winner of Sports Illustrated's first-ever Hope Award.
MLB All-Star Curtis Granderson doesn't hold back when it comes to giving away his cash. In 2007, the baseball luminary launched the Grand Kids Foundation to support inner-city kids. He then went on to introduce Grand Giving, an annual nationwide food campaign that has so far distributed over 40 million meals to people in need.
Additionally, 2013 saw Granderson reportedly break the record for the largest one-off donation from an athlete to their alma mater. The star gave $5 million (£3.7m) to the University of Illinois Chicago to support the build of its new baseball stadium. The Curtis Granderson Stadium was completed in 2014.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers star Ndamukong Suh plays hard on the field. However, the defensive end couldn't be more different off it.
Charity plays a big part in his life and the American football star has given away millions via the Suh Family Foundation, which supports children through education and health. In 2011 he donated $2.6 million (£1.9m) to his alma mater, the University of Nebraska, and also gave $250,000 (£184k) to his former high school in 2013.
Serena Williams takes an active role in the philanthropic realm thanks to her role as a UNICEF Goodwill ambassador, a position she has held since 2011.
The Grand Slam tennis champ also has a charitable foundation called the Serena Williams Fund that promotes equality and education for children in other countries. Perhaps most notable among her recent generous gestures was her donation of 4.25 million face masks to schools across the US in 2020, as part of a pandemic-tackling charitable collaboration with T-shirt company Bella+Canvas.
Cristiano Ronaldo is another sporting icon who spends his time off the pitch volunteering as a roving ambassador for the likes of UNICEF, Save the Children, and World Vision. The soccer superstar, who is said to be worth half a billion dollars, recently donated $1.1 million (£812k) to Portugal's COVID fight, and has handed bonuses that he has received straight to various children's charities.
Additionally, the soccer giant has paid cancer patients' medical bills, and once even auctioned off one of his prized Ballon d'Or trophies, netting the Make-A-Wish Foundation $705,000 (£520k) in the process.
Mobilised by the pandemic's impact on minority communities and infamous injustices including the murder of George Floyd, Milwaukee Bucks point guard Jrue Holiday and his wife, Olympic soccer champion Lauren Cheney, were inspired to started their namesake foundation in July 2020.
The NBA star pledged his salary for the rest of the season, around $5.3 million (£3.9m), to the organisation. As the couple explain on the foundation's website, the organisation was founded "at an inflection point between two pandemics: the disproportionate effects that COVID-19 had on the Black community and businesses, and equally as devestating, the murders of George Floyd and many other unarmed Black people, resulting in an overwhelming feeling of helplessness".
The winner of the first-ever NBA Player of the Month award, Donovan Mitchell deserves an accolade for his generosity too. In 2020 the Utah Jazz shooting guard, who launched his charitable foundation SpidaCares in 2019, donated $12 million (£8.9m) to his old middle school, where his mother had also worked as a teacher.
Mitchell has also offered $45,000 (£33k) to help fund the education of the children of Jacob Blake, a Black man who was left paralysed after being shot by police. More recently, he teamed up with Adidas to refurbish basketball courts at a residential campus for foster children.
As we've seen, many sports stars have dug deep over the last couple of years in order to support COVID-19 relief efforts. However, not many have been quite as open-handed as former New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees. Together with his wife Brittany, Brees donated $5 million (£3.7m) to the state of Louisiana to help it fight the pandemic.
The couple launched the Brees Dream Foundation in 2003, with the organisation's website revealing that it has donated over $45 million (£32.9m) to a range of good causes over the years.
A passionate activist as well as a Formula One superstar, the recently knighted Lewis Hamilton certainly puts his money where his mouth is. An ambassador for Save the Children and Invicta Games, Hamilton has donated time and money to myriad benevolent organisations throughout his illustrious racing career, ranging from Comic Relief to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. He also been a great supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement.
In July 2021, he pledged $27 million (£20m) to his new charitable foundation Mission 44 which, in collaboration with a foundation launched by Hamilton and the Mercedes Formula One team, will give children from under-represented backgrounds the empowerment to achieve their goals.
Passionate about philanthropy, LeBron James is laser-focused on supporting children's charities and giving back to the community. The LA Lakers star, who has a net worth of around $850 million (£625m) according to Forbes, launched The LeBron James Family Foundation in 2004.
The organisation has raised over $40 million (£29.6m) for After-School All-Stars, a nationwide charity that supports children from low-income families. It has also donated $20 million (£14.8m), with an additional million dollars a year, to fund James' I Promise School in Akron, Ohio. Over the years, the foundation has given $2.5 million (£1.9m) to the Boys & Girls Club of America, as well as the same amount to the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture.
The only billionaire in our round-up, Michael Jordan is the world's richest athlete and can certainly afford to be lavish with his charitable donations. Thankfully, he doesn't disappoint.
In June 2020, the basketball legend announced he'd be donating a whopping $100 million (£73.4m) throughout the next decade to organisations that foster “racial equality, social justice and greater access to education" for the Black community.
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