18-TIME NBA ALL-STAR LEBRON JAMES IS THE highest-paid athlete in the world, as per US sports business platform Sportico’s ‘World’s Highest-Paid Athletes’ rankings for 2022.
According to Sportico, the four-time NBA champion has a combined salary and endorsement earnings of $126.9 million to jump into top spot ahead of the likes of footballers Lionel Messi ($122m), Cristiano Ronaldo ($115m) and Neymar ($103m).
James earned $36.9m in terms of salary and winnings with the Lakers this season along with a staggering $90m in endorsements.
The 37-year-old has endorsement deals with Nike, Rimowa, Walmart, GMC, AT&T, PepsiCo and Crypto.com. He is also an investor and franchise owner in pizza chain Blaze while also, through the Fenway Group, having ownership stakes in English Premier League giants Liverpool and baseball side the Boston Red Sox.
James’ $90m in endorsements is the most of any athlete, nearly matched by tennis legend Roger Federer, who made $85m of his $85.7m earnings in the last 12 months from off court earnings.
UFC star Conor McGregor was the top earner in 2021 but has dropped down to the 22nd spot.
From the world of cricket, only Virat Kohli features on the list in 61st place with combined earnings of $33.9m, with $1.2m of that coming from salary/winnings on the field and $31m from endorsements.
Former world number one tennis player Naomi Osaka is the highest female on the list in 20th spot with combined earnings of $53.2m, with just $1.2m of that coming from earnings on the court.
Basketballers dominate the top 100 with 36 NBA stars making the list, followed by the NFL (25), football (13) and baseball (12).
“Business ownership, along with equity- and royalty-based deals have been around forever, but there has been a shift,” Sportico quotes David Schwab, EVP at Octagon, as having said in a phone interview. He points to three developments in the 2000s that have triggered the move. They include the launch of social media, where athletes could build their own audience; the proliferation of niche cable channels, including CNBC, which reached mainstream viewers and spurred a deeper interest in entrepreneurship; and lastly, the purchase of Vitaminwater by Coca-Cola in 2007, which triggered huge returns for rapper 50 Cent and a handful of athletes.
For Sportico’s ‘100 Highest-Paid Athletes in the World 2022’ full list, click here…
