This week's Forbes magazine list of the world's wealthiest people includes 63 billionaires around the planet worth a combined $285 billion. Together they own 81 teams across seven sports and 12 leagues.

The richest of the lot is former Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer, owner of the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers, who has a net worth of $23.5 billion after spending $2 billion in 2014 for the club once owned by Donald Sterling before racist statements led to his lifetime ban from the league.

That record price came only months before the NBA signed a nine-year television contract extension worth a total of $24 billion.