Sportico’s latest ranking of the 50 highest-paid sportsmen in sports history includes twelve NBA luminaries.
The group that follows Michael Jordan is led by LeBron James ($1.7 billion) at No. 5, Shaquille O’Neal ($1.21 billion) at No. 13, the late Kobe Bryant ($1.09 billion) at No. 14, Kevin Durant ($955 million) at No. 17, and Stephen Curry ($770 million) at No. 21. Jordan’s estimated inflation-adjusted earnings are $3.75 billion.
Rounding off the list from the NBA side are Magic Johnson ($645 million) at No. 34, Kevin Garnett ($635 million) at No. 39, Russell Westbrook ($620 million) at No. 42, Chris Paul ($575 million) at No. 44, James Harden ($570 million) at No. 45 and Dwyane Wade ($565 million) at No. 47.
The earning estimates include “salaries, bonuses, prize money, purses, endorsements, licensing, royalties, memorabilia, book deals, media, appearance fees and golf course design fees,” per the list, which was put together based on historical estimates, Sportico research and conversations with industry insiders.
Among NFL players, Tom Brady ($745 million) and Peyton Manning ($710 million) landed at No. 23 and No. 24, respectively, ahead of Aaron Rodgers ($560 million) and Drew Brees ($560 million), who tied at No. 48.
All in all, the list includes athletes from 17 countries across nine sports. Serena Williams – with career earnings of $630 million – is the only female athlete to make the cut, at No. 40.
The list further solidifies Jordan as the most lucrative brand in sports history. As is well documented, “His Airness” was among the NBA’s lowest-paid stars for most of his career and led the league in annual salary with $30 million per season only twice – at the tail end of his run with the Bulls. Most of his empire has been built upon his decades of Nike royalties/earnings and other business ventures.
As an aside, the NBA beating the NFL 12-4 in the list of richest athletes shouldn’t come as a surprise.
Considering that the Super Bowl often draws about ten times as many viewers as the NBA Finals, the NFL is still the dominant sport in the country. However, the NBA has a significantly greater worldwide influence; some predict that basketball will soon overtake soccer as the most popular sport in the world.
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