The 20 best-paid sports stars ever, ranked by earnings

The highest-paid sports stars in history, ranked

The world’s 100 best-paid athletes scored a record income of $6.2 billion last year – up by 14% as teams and competitions lavished money to retain their best talent, and businesses spent even more to garner publicity. 

Sports news provider Sportico has crunched the numbers to see who’s truly in pole position, compiling a list of total career earnings adjusted for inflation up to 2024 (or, if necessary, the year of the athlete’s death). The figures don’t include traditional investments or equity stakes, and they’re calculated before any tax or agents’ fees are deducted. So, read on to discover the world’s 20 highest-earning sportsmen of all time (they do all happen to be men) and find out how they made their fortunes. 

All dollar amounts in US dollars.

20. Stephen Curry: $950 million

Basketball is a gold mine for Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry. In 2017 he became the NBA's first-ever $200 million player, then the first to enjoy two such deals when he signed a four-year, $215 million extension in 2021. This in turn made him the first player to earn more than $50 million in a single season. He signed another one-year extension for $62.6 million last August. 

Curry nets even more from a huge tie-in with US sportswear company Under Armour, which makes the Curry Brand of performance clothing. Among his other interests is a film and TV company, Unanimous Media. He's also just signed a long-term deal with Google to become a health tech advisor.

19. Mike Tyson: $965 million

Iron Mike retired in 2005 after a 20-year career that saw him win 50 out of 58 fights (44 by knockout), become undisputed world heavyweight champion, and amass over $400 million at his peak. He earned his biggest purse of all for a rare defeat, pocketing $103 million in 2002 when Lennox Lewis delivered his own knockout blow. 

Just a year later, Tyson went bankrupt, owing millions of dollars after a series of disastrous financial decisions. He retired in 2005. Now 58, he’s back in the black with a cannabis business among his assets. He’s also thought to have made some $20 million for coming out of retirement last November to go eight rounds with YouTuber Jake Paul.

18. Lewis Hamilton: $970 million

British Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton made his name racing for Mercedes, but last year he shocked fans by announcing a move to Ferrari that's reportedly worth $60 million for the 2025 season alone. A further $20 million is thought to be earmarked for his educational foundation, Mission 44. 

Some put his earnings even higher: French sports website Sportune says the entire Ferrari deal, including a joint investment fund for Hamilton’s charitable works, could exceed €400 million ($454m), which would make the 40-year-old the best-paid driver in history. Off the track, his endorsements include Dior, luxury luggage maker Rimowa, and fashion company Lululemon. In 2022, he invested in the NFL’s Denver Broncos team. 

17. Kevin Durant: $1.07 billion

KD, as he’s known to fans, breaks the billion-dollar barrier when his lifetime earnings are adjusted for inflation. He’s become one of basketball’s best-paid stars thanks to endorsements with companies like Nike and the US apparel chain Foot Locker. According to Forbes, sponsorships approximately doubled his annual $51.4 million salary from the Phoenix Suns. He's since joined the Houston Rockets as part of a record-breaking trade deal. 

Durant has also invested in the elite French football team Paris Saint-Germain and the sportswear brand Homage. Meanwhile, he and his manager, Rich Kleiman, founded a sports media company, Boardroom, which has partnered with Fanatics to offer a development programme for professional athletes. Durant also regularly leads the NBA’s jersey sales. 

16. Kobe Bryant: $1.11 billion

It’s over five years since the NBA’s third all-time leading scorer lost his life in a helicopter crash aged 41, but Kobe Bryant – or Black Mamba as he was known – remains unforgettable, both for sporting prowess and earning power. A 20-year career with the LA Lakers brought him a record $328 million, with his final salary before retirement in 2016 being around $33.5 million in today’s money. 

Kobe also made about $350 million in endorsements with some of the world's most well-known brands, including McDonald’s, Sprite, Mercedes-Benz, and Nike. The latter stood by him even after an allegation of assault in 2003, and last year reported that growth in its Kobe Bryant performance footwear brand had quadrupled over 12 months. 

15. Greg Norman: $1.14 billion

Australian golf legend Greg Norman retired in 2012 after a five-decade career that saw him become the world's number-one player four times between 1986 and 1990 – and again in 1995. He raked in over $1 million no fewer than five times on the US PGA Tour, becoming the first in his sport to exceed $100 million in career earnings. 

Marketing himself as The Shark, he built a significant business empire alongside his activities on the fairway, founding the Greg Norman Company which, among other things, deals in interior design, branded residential communities, and golf course design. Norman’s also the brand ambassador for Cobra Golf, Qantas, and Omega, and is now the tourism ambassador for Vietnam too. 

14. Neymar: $1.17 billion

Brazil’s Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior still holds the record for the most expensive football transfer ever, after Paris Saint-Germain paid $263 million for him in 2017. Six years later, he moved to Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia’s Pro League, earning a reported $156 million in 18 months despite playing only seven matches and scoring just one goal due to injury. Cutting short his contract, he returned home to captain boyhood club Santos.

Leaving the Gulf cost Neymar heavily. His new salary is said to be $500,000 a year – a fortune to most of us but a mere 0.5% of what Al-Hilal paid him. On the plus side, he’s set to receive 80% of whatever commercial deals Santos manage to secure while he’s playing there. Meanwhile, his own sponsors include Puma, Red Bull, and gaming startup Blaze. 

13. Shaquille O'Neal: $1.27 billion

Shaquille O’Neal played for six NBA teams over a 19-year career before retiring in 2011. In addition to his reported $286 million earnings on the court, he’s developed substantial commercial interests and now runs a business empire thought to be worth over $500 million. 

A shrewd investor, Shaq bought into Google and Ring smart doorbells before each company hit the big time. Since then, he’s also purchased – and sold on – a number of Auntie Anne’s restaurants, joined the board of Papa John’s pizzerias in 2019, and developed his own fast-food brand called Big Chicken. He’s even been a rapper too. Among more conventional activities for a former sportsman, he’s Reebok’s President of Basketball and an analyst for TNT’s television show, Inside the NBA.

12. Michael Schumacher $1.39 billion

Widely regarded as the best Formula 1 driver ever, Michael Schumacher won the world driver's championship no fewer than seven times before retiring in 2012. At his peak, he earned up to $100 million annually, often being the best-paid sportsman of the year. 

Of course, such success attracts attention, and the German enjoyed a range of lucrative commercial deals, including one with Shell to wear their logo in exchange for a reported $10 million a year. A similar agreement with his most enduring sponsor, wealth management company Deutsche Vermögensberatung, is said to have bagged him another $8 million. In addition, Schumacher has extensive real estate interests. Sadly, a 2013 skiing accident left him with a traumatic brain injury, and his health has been closely guarded by his family ever since.

Liking this? Click the Like button above. And click the Follow button above for more great stories from loveMONEY

11. Phil Mickelson $1.49 billion

Then aged 50, American Phil Mickelson became the oldest major PGA winner in 2021. Overall, he’s earned almost $100 million in prize money from the Tour, second only to Tiger Woods. In 2022, he stirred controversy after saying he’d be happy to overlook human rights violations in order to defect to the Saudi-backed league, LIV Golf for a rumored $200 million. 

As a result, some sponsors, including KPMG and Heineken, walked away. Yet according to Forbes, Mickelson’s losses were outweighed by other income. As for his own commercial interests, he’s opened his own golf courses, owns three golf companies, and co-owns a coffee brand. Meanwhile, golf apparel brand Primo has partnered with his LIV golf team, HyFlyers GC. 

10. Floyd Mayweather Jr.: $1.52 billion

Living up to his nickname 'Money', Floyd Mayweather Jr. has made stacks of it over a more than two-decade career, with his most lucrative paydays coming fairly late on. Most notably, beating Manny Pacquiao in 2015 is thought to have added $280 million to his bank account, including a share of pay-per-view TV revenue. Securing a 50th straight win against Conor McGregor two years later is thought to have earned him a similar amount.  

Having signed endorsements with watchmaker Hublot and Burger King among others, Mayweather is heavily into real estate and property these days, though he still returns to the ring for lucrative exhibition matches. Additionally, he runs his own promotions company. In 2021, he claimed his commercial interests could rake in $300 million a month. Was it a slip of the tongue? Or just the latest staggering purse? With this most business-minded of boxers, who knows?  

9. Roger Federer: $1.59 billion

The 20-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer, who retired in 2022, is the only tennis player in our list. In 2020, Forbes ranked him the world’s highest-paid athlete, and he’s chalked up some $130 million from the game overall. Yet he’s made much more off the court via lucrative sponsorships with the likes of Rolex, Mercedes-Benz, Nike, and Uniqlo. According to Forbes, he recently achieved billionaire status.

One especially big commercial partnership he enjoys is with On Running, a running shoe maker in his native Switzerland. He bought 3% of the company prior to its flotation in 2021, became the brand’s ambassador, and even designed his own shoe. The company's value soared, making Federer’s share worth $360 million, dwarfing his prize money earnings. Advantage Federer! 

8. David Beckham: $1.61 billion

David Beckham was the biggest soccer star of his day, and in a career that ran from 1992 to 2013 his annual earnings peaked at some $50 million. Since retiring, his wealth has soared. Last year, he made $36 million simply by licensing his name for use across a range of brands such as Adidas, Nespresso, and Stella Artois. That’s more than Real Madrid paid to acquire him from Manchester United in 2003. Meanwhile, various other business interests and dividends netted him a further $60 million. 

In 2022, he really hit the back of the net when the US-based Authentic Brands Group paid around $269 million for a 55% share of his partnership holding company, DRJB Holdings. Among Beckham’s other ventures is his co-ownership and presidency of the American Major League Soccer franchise, Inter Miami FC. 

7. Jack Nicklaus: $1.75 billion

Jack Nicklaus, the so-called 'Golden Bear', began his professional career in 1961 and won 117 tournaments, including 73 victories on the PGA Tour, before retiring in 2005. He was the PGA Player of the Year no fewer than five times. 

Most of his earnings came from prize money on the circuit, though he’s also made money from a branded drink made by the Arizona Beverage Company called Golden Bear Strawberry Fizz, and partnered with a Napa Valley vintner to create various bespoke wine collections. He also founded his own golf equipment company in 1992. 

6. Arnold Palmer: $1.82 billion

Another American golfer, Arnold Palmer died in 2016 aged 87 after a stellar career that saw him win 92 professional championships. He started out in the mid-1950s when prizes were tiny compared to those of today, but nevertheless landed some $400,000 in a winning streak in the early 1960s. That would be worth over $4 million today.

Even so, his website puts his total competitive earnings at just $6.9 million, and 'The King' made most of his fortune away from the golf course with the company Arnold Palmer Enterprises and a range of endorsements. He helped found the Golf Channel and lent his name to a range of apparel, whilst also designing golf courses and, like his great rival Jack Nicklaus, creating an eponymous sports drink – in this case, his trademark mix of iced tea and lemonade.

5. Lionel Messi: $1.85 billion

Now playing with Inter Miami in the US, Lionel Messi is the second-richest soccer star in the world, scoring some $60 million in salary and a further $75 million in endorsements annually, according to Forbes. A big proportion of the latter comes from a $25 million three-year deal to promote tourism to Saudi Arabia, while he also has a partnership with Adidas that’s thought to be one of the largest in any sport. 

The Argentine’s other interests include founding a film production company called 525 Rosario, which is planning an animated science fiction show featuring Messi as a child. He also has arrangements with Apple TV and has launched his own branded sports drink, his own clothing line, and a Barcelona retail outlet, the Messi Store.

4. LeBron James: $1.88 billion

Still playing over two decades since he began his professional career, LA Lakers’ LeBron James became the first active basketball player to achieve a net worth of $1 billion in 2022. Forbes reckons he earned an additional $133 million last year alone, including a player’s salary of over $52 million. 

Off-court, the 40-year-old is thought to have made over $900 million from commercial interests, including an endorsement deal with Nike, and investments in companies like the Beats headphones brand and tequila maker Lobos 1707. Other ventures include an entertainment production company and even a deal with toymaker Mattel to make a Ken doll in his likeness. He also has a charitable foundation dedicated to improving the lives of children in his hometown of Akron, Ohio. 

3. Cristiano Ronaldo: $2.23 billion

Cristiano Ronaldo is the world’s highest-paid soccer star. Once again, Gulf money plays a part in his wealth, since the Portuguese player moved to Saudi club Al-Nassr in 2023, where he now earns $200 million a year, despite turning 40 in February. And that’s far from his only income. 

Forbes reckons that if you include his business ventures, Ronaldo will have netted around $275 million last year, which would be the third-biggest annual earnings of any active athlete it’s ever measured. Ronaldo’s endorsements include companies like Nike, Clear, and Herbalife, while he’s also invested in firms such as wearable tech developer Whoop, porcelain manufacturer Vista Alegre, and the supplement brand Bioniq. He’s co-founded a film studio with the creator of the Kingsman movies, Matthew Vaughn, too.

2. Tiger Woods: $2.79 billion

Despite turning down a massive – though undeclared – offer to join the upstart LIV Golf tour, Tiger Woods is a billionaire according to Forbes, and one of only two active sports stars to achieve that status. He’s thought to have earned about $1.8 billion pre-tax in his 28-year career, including a record $121 million in PGA Tour winnings. 

The vast majority of his wealth comes from commercial interests though. A longstanding endorsement deal with Nike earned him in the region of $500 million, though it’s now ended. Over the years, he’s also had lucrative associations with AT&T, Accenture, and sports drink companies Gatorade and Monster Energy. Meanwhile, Woods invests in luxury real estate and owns a golf course design firm and an indoor mini-golf chain among other businesses. In partnership with Rory McIlroy, he’s also established a sports media and tech company, TMRW Sports. 

1. Michael Jordan: $4.15 billion

And the crown goes to... who else but Michael Jordan? Active between 1984 and 2003, he’s enjoyed decades as the world’s richest athlete and is now well over a billion dollars clear of his nearest competitor.

Though he retired over 20 years ago, 'His Airness' still earned an estimated $300 million last year, thanks mostly to a long-standing deal with Nike that includes a cut from sales of his Jordan-branded footwear. And the line has just enjoyed a slam-dunk year with revenues doubling since 2020 as it expanded into women’s and non-basketball items. Jordan’s other endorsements include Five Star, Upper Deck, Gatorade, and 2K. 

Liked this? Click the Like button above. And click the Follow button above for more great stories from loveMONEY

Now discover the 10 highest-paid tennis stars in the world