Is This Popular Buffalo Athlete Worth More Than Michael Jordan?

When you think of wealthy athletes, many people immediately think of people like Tom Brady, Tiger Woods, or in Buffalo even Josh Allen.  But you should think of her...

We know who Michael Jordan is.  He's one of the greatest basketball players to ever play the game.  He was also one of the first to take endorsements by an athlete to an incredible level.  He's worth around $1.7 billion, but according to Daily Star, there's an athlete playing right now that's already worth more than him and she's got roots right here in Buffalo.

I'm talking about tennis star Jessica Pegula.

She's the real deal in the world of tennis.  It's a name that you could be hearing a lot of in the next couple years.  This weekend, she took one step closer to winning the US Open by beating Petra Kvitova.  Now she waits for the result of the Iga Swiatek and Jule Niemeier match to see if she can advance to the semi-finals.

It's something that she's been working on for almost her entire life.  When the Pegula's first bought the Buffalo Sabres years ago, it was mentioned that she had aspirations of playing tennis professionally.  Did anyone ever imagine that she would be able to get herself to this level though?

And according to the Daily Star, she's already one of the richest athletes in the world considering that she is the heiress to her parent's estimated $6 billion net worth.

But is she now?

I have 0 doubt that she will someday become the world's richest athlete.  It's pretty much inevitable that she will inherit that money and add it to the prize money that she's already won and will be worth a fortune.  But is it right to say that right now?

What it does show is how much she loves tennis.  She doesn't play for prize money.  She plays to be the best.  She has no need to ever pick up a racket again, except for her desire to win.