The 38 Highest-Earning Athletes of the 21st Century

Salaries, purses and endorsement deals, measured across twenty-five years of receipts.

1. 1
   Cristiano Ronaldo

   Combines the largest football salary with the largest endorsement following.
   1000pts
2. 2
   Tom Brady

   Twenty-three seasons of NFL contracts plus a fitness and apparel business.
   877pts
3. 3
   Manny Pacquiao

   Took a reported $120m purse from a single night in 2015.
   877pts
4. 4
   Lionel Messi

   Barcelona's record contract, then Paris, then a revenue-sharing deal in Miami.
   771pts
5. 5
   Conor McGregor

   Two UFC fights with Dustin Poirier and the sale of his whiskey brand made him the highest-paid athlete of 2021.
   600pts
6. 6
   Tiger Woods

   Golf's first billion-dollar athlete, most of it from endorsements.
   600pts
7. 7
   Canelo Alvarez

   Signed one of the largest guaranteed contracts in sports history in 2018.
   600pts
8. 8
   Floyd Mayweather

   Topped the Forbes highest-paid athlete list in 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2018.
   491pts
9. 9
   LeBron James

   A lifetime Nike deal plus studio, media and franchise ownership.
   491pts
10. 10
    Serena Williams

    Tennis's highest-earning woman, with a venture fund alongside the endorsements.
    491pts
11. 11
    Lewis Hamilton

    Formula 1's highest-paid driver for most of his Mercedes years.
    491pts
12. 12
    Roger Federer

    Out-earned the tour from sponsorship long after his prize money peaked.
    360pts
13. 13
    Neymar

    A record transfer fee and a salary to match, twice over.
    360pts
14. 14
    Phil Mickelson

    Golf's steadiest endorsement earner across two decades.
    360pts
15. 15
    Kobe Bryant

    Two decades of Lakers contracts plus a global endorsement portfolio.
    0pts
16. 16
    Michael Schumacher

    Seven-time Formula 1 champion whose Ferrari salary and sponsorships brought in around $80 million a year in the early 2000s.
17. 17
    David Beckham

    Turned Real Madrid, LA Galaxy and a vast endorsement portfolio into a global brand, then took an MLS club stake that became Inter Miami.
18. 18
    Kevin Durant

    Four-time NBA scoring champion whose max contracts and early bets on tech start-ups made him one of basketball's richest players.
19. 19
    Stephen Curry

    Four-time NBA champion who signed the league's first $200 million contract in 2017 and later a lifetime deal with Under Armour.
20. 20
    Rafael Nadal

    Twenty-two-time Grand Slam champion who earned more than $130 million in prize money alongside long-running Nike, Kia and Richard Mille deals.
21. 21
    Novak Djokovic

    Tennis's all-time prize money leader with more than $180 million on court, backed by long-term Lacoste, Head and Asics deals.
22. 22
    Shaquille O'Neal

    Dominant centre who earned close to $300 million in NBA salary, then built a business empire of endorsements, restaurants and investments.
23. 23
    Alex Rodriguez

    Signed baseball's record $252 million contract in 2000 and a $275 million Yankees extension in 2007, earning over $440 million in salary.
24. 24
    Maria Sharapova

    Five-time Grand Slam champion who topped Forbes' list of highest-paid female athletes for 11 straight years through Nike, Porsche and Sugarpova.
25. 25
    Kylian Mbappé

    French striker whose record 2022 Paris Saint-Germain contract, 2024 move to Real Madrid and Nike backing put him near football's top earners.
26. 26
    Valentino Rossi

    Nine-time Grand Prix world champion and MotoGP's best-paid rider for over a decade, with Yamaha salaries and his VR46 merchandise business.
27. 27
    Fernando Alonso

    Two-time Formula 1 champion who commanded one of the grid's biggest salaries at Ferrari and later Aston Martin across a career spanning three decades.
28. 28
    Jon Rahm

    Spanish Masters champion who joined LIV Golf in December 2023 on a deal reported above $300 million, ranking second on Forbes' 2024 list.
29. 29
    Dak Prescott

    Dallas Cowboys quarterback who signed a four-year, $240 million extension in 2024, the highest annual salary in NFL history at the time.
30. 30
    Shohei Ohtani

    Two-way Dodgers star who signed a record ten-year, $700 million contract in December 2023, deferring most of it while his endorsements boomed.
31. 31
    Giannis Antetokounmpo

    Two-time MVP who signed a $228 million supermax extension in 2020, won the 2021 title and fronts his own Nike signature shoe.
32. 32
    Peyton Manning

    Five-time NFL MVP who earned nearly $250 million in salary and became one of football's most ubiquitous pitchmen with Nationwide and Papa John's.
33. 33
    Naomi Osaka

    Four-time Grand Slam champion who earned $57 million in 2021, then the most ever by a female athlete in a single year, per Forbes.
34. 34
    Kevin Garnett

    Earned over $340 million in NBA salary, the most in league history when he retired, after a landmark $126 million deal at 21.
35. 35
    Anthony Joshua

    Two-time unified heavyweight champion whose Wembley stadium fights and pay-per-view deals made him one of Britain's richest athletes.
36. 36
    Tyson Fury

    Heavyweight world champion whose trilogy with Deontay Wilder and two 2024 fights with Oleksandr Usyk brought some of boxing's biggest purses.
37. 37
    Karim Benzema

    Ballon d'Or winner who joined Al-Ittihad in 2023 on a huge Saudi Pro League contract and ranked fourth on Forbes' 2024 list.
38. 38
    Rory McIlroy

    Northern Irish golfer whose five majors, capped by the 2025 Masters career Grand Slam, and Nike and TaylorMade deals kept him among Forbes' top earners.

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