As every year, the specialized sites like Forbes draw up their ranking of the highest paid sportsmen in the world and, here again, it is LeBron James who leads the dance among basketball players with no less than $119.5 million earned over the fiscal year (it ends in mid-April in the United States).
In detail, the billionaire accumulates 44.5 million dollars in salary and 75 million dollars in extra-sports income.
Taking into account all the athletes, the “King” of Lakers is however “only” fourth, at the foot of the podium, and he is behind three footballers: Cristiano Ronaldo (136) and Lionel Messi (130) of course, but also the Frenchman Kylian Mbappé (120), who has become an NBA partner one year ago.
In this Top 10, we also find a boxer, two golfers and a tennis player, not to mention two other basketball players: Stephen Currypresent in 8th place thanks to its $100.4 million (48.4 + 52), as well as Kevin Durantpresent in 10th place thanks to its $89.1 million (44.1 + 45).
Top 10 highest paid athletes on the planet
1. Cristiano Ronaldo (soccer) — $136 million
2. Lionel Messi (soccer) — $130 million
3. Kylian Mbappé (soccer) — $120 million
4. LeBron James (basketball) — $119.5 million
5. Canelo Alvarez (boxing) — $110 million
6. Dustin Johnson (golf) — $107 million
7. Phil Mickelson (golf) — $106 million
8. Stephen Curry (basketball) — $100.4 million
9. Roger Federer (tennis) — $95.1 million
10. Kevin Durant (basketball) — $89.1 million
