Rooting for athletes who start from nothing, and go on to achieve fame and fortune is practically
an American pastime.
But not all sports stars started from the bottom.
Some athletes were born already living the good life.
Nick Foles
Destined to be a career backup until his Super Bowl run with the Philadelphia Eagles, Nick
Foles scored a hefty contract in 2018.
But despite his $88 million signing deal with the Jaguars in 2019, with earnings widely
anticipated to reach upwards of $102 million, according to the franchise, the Super Bowl
MVP quarterback wasn't always the most loaded person in his family.
"You wake up in the morning and look at yourself in the mirror and go, 'Hey there SuperBowl
champ'?"
"I don't, I don't."
Nick's dad, Larry Foles, founder and owner of Eddie V's Restaurants, Inc., sold his company
in 2011 for a whopping $59 million, per the Phoenix Business Journal.
But while Nick may have grown up the kid of a self-made millionaire, Foles dad says his
son's still got his feet on the ground, telling the Philadelphia Daily News,
"He’s one of the most earnest, humble, good people in the world."
Laila Ali
Growing up in the shadow of your successful parents can be tough for some, but it's next
level when your dad's arguably the greatest boxer of all time.
Laila Ali, daughter of Muhammad Ali, was born three years after her father's legendary "Rumble
in the Jungle" heavyweight championship match against a young George Foreman.
Muhammad Ali's net worth was estimated to be $80 million before his death in 2016.
"He treated everybody with kindness and love and respect and that was instilled in me just
by watching him."
Laila became a boxer in her own right, retiring with a 24-0 record, including 21 knockouts,
in 2007.
Per Biography, Ali received the title of Super Middleweight Champion in 2002 and the International
Women's Boxing Federation's Light Heavyweight title in 2004.
Ali went on to become a TV personality and secure a net worth of $10 million.
Grant Hill
If you're a college basketball fan, you've heard the phrase "Anybody But Duke."
The university is notoriously hated by fans for what appears to be a sense of league superiority.
But while the majority of Duke's most-loathed players come from poor or middle class backgrounds,
fan favorite Grant Hill did not.
"Quite honestly, most of my friends didn't have fathers who were professional athletes.
A lot of my friends didn't have relationships with their fathers."
Grant's father, Calvin Hill, was an All-Pro player for the Dallas Cowboys.
His mother, Janet Hill, is a successful attorney and a former classmate of Hillary Clinton
from Wellesley College.
But although Grant grew up around fame and wealth, it made him uncomfortable.
He told Sporting News,
"I didn't want anybody, especially my friends, thinking I was better than them.
I just wanted to be a down-to-earth guy and have my own identity."
"I didn't like unwanted attention, and so forth.
And, you know, I just wanted to be liked, and to be known for me."
Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
Known as "The Intimidator," Dale Earnhardt racked up seven titles and 76 Cup wins before
his untimely death in 2001.
Considered one of the greatest race car drivers of all time, Earnhardt amassed over $30 million
over the course of his career, and he left behind a $70 million estate to his children.
Though he grew up rich, Earnhardt's youngest son, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., went on become one
of the richest, and most popular, NASCAR drivers in history on his own merit.
Dale Jr. retired in 2017 after nearly 20 years behind the wheel, walking away with an estimated
net worth of $400 million.
"Well, you know, I wanna be a race car driver someday.
It's a great sport, so it's all I've ever known.
Racing."
Zara Tindall
Zara Tindall is the only daughter of Princess Anne and the second-eldest grandchild of Queen
Elizabeth II.
Needless to say, she was born filthy rich.
She's also an Olympic medalist, having taken home the silver as part of the British Equestrian
team at the 2012 Games in London.
"The whole Olympic experience, I can't tell you, like, it gives me goosebumps talking
about it."
"Really?"
Tindall told The Telegraph,
"We wanted the gold but to get an Olympic medal is incredible anyway…When you get
one of these put round your neck you realize everything was worth it."
Considering that Money Crashers estimates the average annual cost of horse ownership
to be nearly $4,000 per horse, as well as the additional cash it takes to train for
an equestrian team, there's no doubt that Tindall's family's wealth contributed significantly
to her Olympic success.
Johnny Manziel
Due to his penchant for hard partying and his repeated issues off the field, Johnny
Manziel's NFL career lasted just two seasons.
"Johnny Manziel's the most exciting player we've ever seen."
But if you're worried that he might die penniless, you should know his parents are absolutely
loaded.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Paul and Michelle Manziel are reportedly worth a cool
$50 million in Texas oil money.
While playing for Texas A&M, Manziel drove a Mercedes and scored highly coveted seats
at the NBA Finals.
When asked by a Twitter user where he was getting all this money from, Manziel replied,
quote, "My family."
After Manziel lost out on $2 million after being cut by the Cleveland Browns, he continued
to burn through his seemingly bottomless supply of family cash.
Per CBS Sports, Manziel was dropping a reported "$25,000 per night" for a hotel room in Vegas.
Kobe Bryant
Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant retired in 2016 after an illustrious 20-year career
that included five NBA championships, 18 All-Star appearances, and 33,643 points, besting Michael
Jordan.
Bryant is considered one of the greatest basketball players to hit the hardwood.
But his hoop dreams didn't start in America; they started in Italy when he was six, where
his father, Joe "Jellybean" Bryant, played professionally after retiring from the NBA
in 1983.
Kobe spent his childhood watching his father play, giving him an early advantage over his
peers.
"The most important thing is the game, can't lose sight of that.
It's not what people think of you, right?
But it's the game."
Kobe went on to create an even greater legacy than his father's.
Per Forbes, his career earnings topped $770 million, making him, quote, " [the] highest-paid
athlete in the history of team sports."
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