From entertainment and technology to politics and finance, these 50 top playersunder 40 represent our editors’ picks

at The Source Awards and the Billboard Awards. The multi-faceted Williams, just doesn’t produce, his band N*E*R*D has been certified gold for its latest CD The Neptunes Present … Clones. Look out this month for the straight-to-video hip-hop musical Dude We’re Going to Rio starring Williams.

Kenny Williams
Baseball Executive Age: 39
Since 2000, Williams has been a front-office power hitter for the Chicago White Sox, handling every aspect of baseball operations from developing marketing strategies to player negotiations. As senior vice president and general manager, he acquired Carl Everett from the Texas Rangers and Roberto Alomar from the New York Mets this year, and saved the team more than $17 million in the process.

Serena Williams
Professional Tennis Player Age: 22
Ranked Sports Business Daily’s No. 1 most marketable female athlete this year, Williams counts Puma, Avon, Wrigley, McDonald’s, and Unilever among her endorsement deals. Since her professional debut in September 1995, Williams has won six singles Grand Slam titles and she’s earned more than $10 million from tournament winnings through 2002. Ranked No. 3 by the WTA as of Oct. 13, Williams is also pursuing careers in acting and fashion.

Venus Williams
Professional Tennis Player Age: 23
Since her professional debut in October 1994, Williams has won four singles Grand Slam titles and is ranked at No. 6 by the WTA as of Oct. 13. Her tennis career netted more than $11 million through 2002, but endorsements have added millions more, including a reported $40 million five-year deal with Reebok. Last year, Williams started an interior design company, V Starr Interiors, which projects $1 million in gross sales by year-end.

Eldrick “Tiger” Woods
Professional Golf Player Age: 27
Since launching his professional career in August 1996, Woods has won 52 tournaments, 39 of them on the PGA Tour. As of October, his world ranking was No. 1 and he has earned more than $41 million from tournaments through 2002. Woods has also scored millions in endorsements, including a five-year $100 million Nike contract and deals with Buick, American Express, and Accenture. He established the Tiger Woods Foundation in 1996.

Andre “Dr. Dre” Young
Music Producer /Entrepreneur Age: 38
After nearly two decades, Dr. Dre has left an indelible stamp on rap music. His company, Aftermath Entertainment, launched a multiplatinum roster of artists including Eminem, who has sold 20 million albums in the U.S., and 50 Cent, whose debut album sold a record 872,000 copies its first week. Although both protégés have formed their own labels, Dre still enforces his creative input as a producer.

Jide J. Zeitlen
Investment Banker Age: 39
Zeitlen recently became COO of the investment banking division at Goldman Sachs. The former merger banker spent a dozen years at that post before co-heading the firm’s healthcare practice. A Harvard alumnus, Zeitlen sits on the boards of several committees including those of Amherst College and Montefiore Medical Center. He is also a member of Goldman’s Pine Street Board.

Additional Reporting by Tanisha A. Sykes, Robert Anthony, Siobhan Benet, Cliff Hocker, Tamara Holmes, Alan Hughes, Tykisha Lundy, Christina Morgan, Maya R. Payne & Marcia Wade