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The World's 50 Top-Earning Athletes
No. 1: Tiger Woods
Sport: golf
Income: $105 million
Age: 35
Nike has built a $638 million (sales) golf division on Woods’ back, and pays the golfer $30 million annually.
No. 2: Floyd Mayweather
Sport: boxing
Income: $65 million
Age: 33
His May fight against Shane Mosley netted 1.4 million pay-per-view buys, the second-most lucrative non-heavyweight bout ever.
No. 3: Kobe Bryant
Sport: basketball
Income: $48 million
Age: 32
Five-time NBA champ has the bestselling jersey in Asia, Europe and the U.S.
No. 4: Phil Mickelson
Sport: golf
Income: $46 million
Age: 40
World's second-ranked golfer has designed only one golf course in U.S., but has five projects on tap in China.
No. 5: David Beckham
Sport: soccer
Income: $43.7 million
Age: 35
Former Armani pitchman is developing his own line of underwear and grooming products.
No. 6: Roger Federer
Sport: tennis
Income: $43 million
Age: 29
The 16-time Grand Slam champion has 10-year endorsement deals including Nike, Wilson, Rolex and Jura.
No. 7: LeBron James
Sport: basketball
Income: $42.8 million
Age: 26
Two-time MVP heads to Miami with sponsors Coca-Cola, McDonalds, Nike, State Farm and Upper Deck in tow.
No. 8: Manny Pacquiao
Sport: boxing
Income: $42 million
Age: 32
Earned $35 million for fights against Joshua Clottey and Miguel Cotto before his May election to the Congress of the Philippines.
No. 9: Eli Manning
Sport: football
Income: $39.9 million
Age: 29
The six-year, $97 million contract he signed in August made Manning the highest-paid player in the NFL.
No. 10: Terrell Suggs
Sport: football
Income: $38.3 million
Age: 28
Ravens star signed six-year, $63 million contract last year that made him highest-paid linebacker in the NFL.
No. 11: Julius Peppers
Sport: football
Income: $36 million
Age: 30
Peppers signed a contract with Chicago in March that guarantees the five-time Pro Bowler $42 million.
No. 12: Alex Rodriguez
Sport: baseball
Income: $35.9 million
Age: 35
A-Rod has signed the two biggest player contracts in the history of sports, with the latest paying him $275 million over 10 years.
No. 13: Cristiano Ronaldo
Sport: soccer
Income: $35.8 million
Age: 25
Real Madrid paid a record $132 million transfer fee to Manchester United for the rights to Ronaldo, who did not get a cut of the deal
No. 14: Kimi Raikkonen
Sport: motorsports
Income: $34 million
Age: 31
Raikkonen is racing rally cars after Ferrari bought out the last year of his contract to make room for Fernando Alonso.
No. 15: Philip Rivers
Sport: football
Income: $32.1 million
Age: 29
Only Steve Young has a higher career passing rating among QBs with at least 1,500 attempts.
No. 16: Valentino Rossi
Sport: motorsports
Income: $32 million
Age: 31
Biggest star in MotoGP won his ninth World Championship title in 2009 for Yamaha.
No. 17: Shaquille O'Neal
Sport: basketball
Income: $31 million
Age: 38
His low-priced brand of Dunkman sneakers has sold 80 million pairs since they were introduced in 1996.
No. 18: Dale Earnhardt
Sport: motorsports
Income: $30 million
Age: 36
Junior failed to make the Sprint Cup Chase in 2009, but was still voted Nascar's most popular driver for a seventh straight year.
No. 19: Derek Jeter
Sport: baseball
Income: $29.7 million
Age: 36
Baseball's most prolific endorser is in the last year of his 10-year, $189 million contract with the Yankees.
No. 20: Lewis Hamilton
Sport: motorsports
Income: $29 million
Age: 29
Reebok signed the Formula 1 star to be a global brand ambassador in 2008.
No. 21: Yao Ming
Sport: basketball
Income: $28.4 million
Age: 30
Yao missed the entire 2009-2010 NBA season after foot surgery, but still collected his $16.4 million salary from the Rockets.
No. 22: Tracy McGrady
Sport: basketball
Income: $28.2 million
Age: 31
NBA's highest-paid player last season scored only 245 points in 30 games for the Rockets and Knicks.
No. 23: Fernando Alonso
Sport: motorsports
Income: $28 million
Age: 29
Two-time Formula 1 champion had his thumbs insured for $11 million by Ferrari team sponsor Santander.
No. 23: Michael Schumacher
Sport: motorsports
Income: $28 million
Age: 41
Schumi returned to Formula 1 this year when he agreed to race for Mercedes after a three-year absence.
No. 25: Albert Haynesworth
Sport: football
Income: $27.3 million
Age: 29
Haynesworth received a $21 million bonus in April as part of the $100 million contract he signed with the Redskins in 2009.
No. 26: Lionel Messi
Sport: soccer
Income: $27 million
Age: 23
FIFA's Player of the Year has endorsement deals with Adidas, Gillette, Konami and Pepsi.
No. 27: Jeff Gordon
Sport: motorsports
Income: $26.9 million
Age: 39
Four-time Sprint Cup champ is co-owner of the No. 48 car driven by another four-time champion, Jimmie Johnson.
No. 28: Dwyane Wade
Sport: basketball
Income: $26.8 million
Age: 28
Wade's new six-year, $107.5 million contract is worth $2.6 million less than the deals signed by his two new superstar teammates.
No. 29: Demarcus Ware
Sport: football
Income: $26.7 million
Age: 28
Four-time Pro Bowler inked a six-year, $78 million contract extension with the Cowboys in October.
No. 30: Ichiro Suzuki
Sport: baseball
Income: $26 million
Age: 37
Japan's best-ever baseball export is in the middle of a five-year, $90 million deal he signed with the Mariners in 2007.
No. 31: Kaka
Sport: soccer
Income: $25.6 million
Age: 28
Brazilian soccer star counts Adidas and Sony among his biggest endorsement deals.
No. 32: Ronaldinho
Sport: soccer
Income: $25.1 million
Age: 30
Two-time FIFA Player of the Year was left off Brazil's World Cup squad in South Africa.
No. 33: Peyton Manning
Sport: football
Income: $24.8 million
Age: 34
Four-time NFL MVP will likely be the league's highest-paid player when he signs his next contract with the Colts.
No. 34: Tim Duncan
Sport: basketball
Income: $24.7 million
Age: 34
NBA's fourth-highest-paid player at $22.2 million adds to income through deals with Adidas, Sprite, H-E-B and Gunn Automotive.
No. 35: Maria Sharapova
Sport: tennis
Income: $24.5 million
Age: 23
Biggest deal is with Nike, which re-signed Sharapova in January to an eight-year deal worth up to $70 million.
No. 36: Dwight Howard
Sport: basketball
Income: $24.2 million
Age: 25
Warner Bros. and Adidas are producing a Superman-inspired line of merchandise featuring Howard.
No. 37: Jermaine O'Neal
Sport: basketball
Income: $24 million
Age: 32
Injuries have slowed O'Neal, but he made $23 million in last year of his contract, third-highest in NBA.
No. 38: Carmelo Anthony
Sport: basketball
Income: $23.8 million
Age: 26
VH1 show on the wedding planning and ceremony between Anthony and Lala Vazquez is scheduled for the fall.
No. 39: Thierry Henry
Sport: soccer
Income: $23.5 million
Age: 33
Reebok and Gillette pitchman is heading to U.S. to suit up for an MLS squad.
No. 40: Ernie Els
Sport: golf
Income: $23 million
Age: 41
Big Easy is PGA's leading money winner so far in 2010 at $3.9 million.
No. 40: Jimmie Johnson
Sport: motorsports
Income: $23 million
Age: 35
Four-time Sprint Cup champion signed a six-year extension at end of 2009 to drive for Hendrick Motorsports.
No. 42: Jake Delhomme
Sport: football
Income: $22.4 million
Age: 35
Carolina Panthers had to pay Delhomme $12.5 million when they released the QB in March.
No. 42: Kevin Garnett
Sport: basketball
Income: $22.4 million
Age: 34
Big Ticket's $16.4 million salary with the Celtics last season was an $8.4 million pay cut from the prior year.
No. 44 Amare Stoudamire
Sport: basketball
Income: $21.9 million
Age: 28
The All-Star free agent forward signed a five-year, $100 million contract this summer to play for the Knicks.
No. 45: Dirk Nowitzki
Sport: basketball
Income: $21.8 million
Age: 32
The former MVP opted out of his Mavericks contract this summer before re-signing with the team for $80 million over four years.
No. 45: Paul Pierce
Sport: basketball
Income: $21.8 million
Age: 33
Pierce has deals with Nike, Spalding, Steiner Sports, Yahoo Sports and insurer UCI to supplement his $19.8 million salary.
No. 47: CC Sabathia
Sport: baseball
Income: $21.4 million
Age: 30
Yankees signed Sabathia to largest contract ever for a pitcher before 2009 season worth $161 million.
No. 47: Matthew Stafford
Sport: football
Income: $21.4 million
Age: 22
The 2009 No.1 pick signed a six-year, $72 million deal with Lions, richest ever for a draft choice.
No. 49: Vince Carter
Sport: basketball
Income: $21.3 million
Age: 33
Carter has one year left on his contract with the Magic that will pay him $17.3 million.
No. 50: Lance Armstrong
Sport: cycling
Income: $21 million
Age: 39
Nike has sold more than 70 million of its ubiquitous LiveStrong bracelets, inspired by Armstrong to fund cancer research.
No. 1: Tiger Woods
Sport: golf
Income: $105 million
Age: 35
Nike has built a $638 million (sales) golf division on Woods’ back, and pays the golfer $30 million annually.
No. 2: Floyd Mayweather
Sport: boxing
Income: $65 million
Age: 33
His May fight against Shane Mosley netted 1.4 million pay-per-view buys, the second-most lucrative non-heavyweight bout ever.
No. 3: Kobe Bryant
Sport: basketball
Income: $48 million
Age: 32
Five-time NBA champ has the bestselling jersey in Asia, Europe and the U.S.
No. 4: Phil Mickelson
Sport: golf
Income: $46 million
Age: 40
World's second-ranked golfer has designed only one golf course in U.S., but has five projects on tap in China.
No. 5: David Beckham
Sport: soccer
Income: $43.7 million
Age: 35
Former Armani pitchman is developing his own line of underwear and grooming products.
No. 6: Roger Federer
Sport: tennis
Income: $43 million
Age: 29
The 16-time Grand Slam champion has 10-year endorsement deals including Nike, Wilson, Rolex and Jura.
No. 7: LeBron James
Sport: basketball
Income: $42.8 million
Age: 26
Two-time MVP heads to Miami with sponsors Coca-Cola, McDonalds, Nike, State Farm and Upper Deck in tow.
No. 8: Manny Pacquiao
Sport: boxing
Income: $42 million
Age: 32
Earned $35 million for fights against Joshua Clottey and Miguel Cotto before his May election to the Congress of the Philippines.
No. 9: Eli Manning
Sport: football
Income: $39.9 million
Age: 29
The six-year, $97 million contract he signed in August made Manning the highest-paid player in the NFL.
No. 10: Terrell Suggs
Sport: football
Income: $38.3 million
Age: 28
Ravens star signed six-year, $63 million contract last year that made him highest-paid linebacker in the NFL.
No. 11: Julius Peppers
Sport: football
Income: $36 million
Age: 30
Peppers signed a contract with Chicago in March that guarantees the five-time Pro Bowler $42 million.
No. 12: Alex Rodriguez
Sport: baseball
Income: $35.9 million
Age: 35
A-Rod has signed the two biggest player contracts in the history of sports, with the latest paying him $275 million over 10 years.
No. 13: Cristiano Ronaldo
Sport: soccer
Income: $35.8 million
Age: 25
Real Madrid paid a record $132 million transfer fee to Manchester United for the rights to Ronaldo, who did not get a cut of the deal
No. 14: Kimi Raikkonen
Sport: motorsports
Income: $34 million
Age: 31
Raikkonen is racing rally cars after Ferrari bought out the last year of his contract to make room for Fernando Alonso.
No. 15: Philip Rivers
Sport: football
Income: $32.1 million
Age: 29
Only Steve Young has a higher career passing rating among QBs with at least 1,500 attempts.
No. 16: Valentino Rossi
Sport: motorsports
Income: $32 million
Age: 31
Biggest star in MotoGP won his ninth World Championship title in 2009 for Yamaha.
No. 17: Shaquille O'Neal
Sport: basketball
Income: $31 million
Age: 38
His low-priced brand of Dunkman sneakers has sold 80 million pairs since they were introduced in 1996.
No. 18: Dale Earnhardt
Sport: motorsports
Income: $30 million
Age: 36
Junior failed to make the Sprint Cup Chase in 2009, but was still voted Nascar's most popular driver for a seventh straight year.
No. 19: Derek Jeter
Sport: baseball
Income: $29.7 million
Age: 36
Baseball's most prolific endorser is in the last year of his 10-year, $189 million contract with the Yankees.
No. 20: Lewis Hamilton
Sport: motorsports
Income: $29 million
Age: 29
Reebok signed the Formula 1 star to be a global brand ambassador in 2008.
No. 21: Yao Ming
Sport: basketball
Income: $28.4 million
Age: 30
Yao missed the entire 2009-2010 NBA season after foot surgery, but still collected his $16.4 million salary from the Rockets.
No. 22: Tracy McGrady
Sport: basketball
Income: $28.2 million
Age: 31
NBA's highest-paid player last season scored only 245 points in 30 games for the Rockets and Knicks.
No. 23: Fernando Alonso
Sport: motorsports
Income: $28 million
Age: 29
Two-time Formula 1 champion had his thumbs insured for $11 million by Ferrari team sponsor Santander.
No. 23: Michael Schumacher
Sport: motorsports
Income: $28 million
Age: 41
Schumi returned to Formula 1 this year when he agreed to race for Mercedes after a three-year absence.
No. 25: Albert Haynesworth
Sport: football
Income: $27.3 million
Age: 29
Haynesworth received a $21 million bonus in April as part of the $100 million contract he signed with the Redskins in 2009.
No. 26: Lionel Messi
Sport: soccer
Income: $27 million
Age: 23
FIFA's Player of the Year has endorsement deals with Adidas, Gillette, Konami and Pepsi.
No. 27: Jeff Gordon
Sport: motorsports
Income: $26.9 million
Age: 39
Four-time Sprint Cup champ is co-owner of the No. 48 car driven by another four-time champion, Jimmie Johnson.
No. 28: Dwyane Wade
Sport: basketball
Income: $26.8 million
Age: 28
Wade's new six-year, $107.5 million contract is worth $2.6 million less than the deals signed by his two new superstar teammates.
No. 29: Demarcus Ware
Sport: football
Income: $26.7 million
Age: 28
Four-time Pro Bowler inked a six-year, $78 million contract extension with the Cowboys in October.
No. 30: Ichiro Suzuki
Sport: baseball
Income: $26 million
Age: 37
Japan's best-ever baseball export is in the middle of a five-year, $90 million deal he signed with the Mariners in 2007.
No. 31: Kaka
Sport: soccer
Income: $25.6 million
Age: 28
Brazilian soccer star counts Adidas and Sony among his biggest endorsement deals.
No. 32: Ronaldinho
Sport: soccer
Income: $25.1 million
Age: 30
Two-time FIFA Player of the Year was left off Brazil's World Cup squad in South Africa.
No. 33: Peyton Manning
Sport: football
Income: $24.8 million
Age: 34
Four-time NFL MVP will likely be the league's highest-paid player when he signs his next contract with the Colts.
No. 34: Tim Duncan
Sport: basketball
Income: $24.7 million
Age: 34
NBA's fourth-highest-paid player at $22.2 million adds to income through deals with Adidas, Sprite, H-E-B and Gunn Automotive.
No. 35: Maria Sharapova
Sport: tennis
Income: $24.5 million
Age: 23
Biggest deal is with Nike, which re-signed Sharapova in January to an eight-year deal worth up to $70 million.
No. 36: Dwight Howard
Sport: basketball
Income: $24.2 million
Age: 25
Warner Bros. and Adidas are producing a Superman-inspired line of merchandise featuring Howard.
No. 37: Jermaine O'Neal
Sport: basketball
Income: $24 million
Age: 32
Injuries have slowed O'Neal, but he made $23 million in last year of his contract, third-highest in NBA.
No. 38: Carmelo Anthony
Sport: basketball
Income: $23.8 million
Age: 26
VH1 show on the wedding planning and ceremony between Anthony and Lala Vazquez is scheduled for the fall.
No. 39: Thierry Henry
Sport: soccer
Income: $23.5 million
Age: 33
Reebok and Gillette pitchman is heading to U.S. to suit up for an MLS squad.
No. 40: Ernie Els
Sport: golf
Income: $23 million
Age: 41
Big Easy is PGA's leading money winner so far in 2010 at $3.9 million.
No. 40: Jimmie Johnson
Sport: motorsports
Income: $23 million
Age: 35
Four-time Sprint Cup champion signed a six-year extension at end of 2009 to drive for Hendrick Motorsports.
No. 42: Jake Delhomme
Sport: football
Income: $22.4 million
Age: 35
Carolina Panthers had to pay Delhomme $12.5 million when they released the QB in March.
No. 42: Kevin Garnett
Sport: basketball
Income: $22.4 million
Age: 34
Big Ticket's $16.4 million salary with the Celtics last season was an $8.4 million pay cut from the prior year.
No. 44 Amare Stoudamire
Sport: basketball
Income: $21.9 million
Age: 28
The All-Star free agent forward signed a five-year, $100 million contract this summer to play for the Knicks.
No. 45: Dirk Nowitzki
Sport: basketball
Income: $21.8 million
Age: 32
The former MVP opted out of his Mavericks contract this summer before re-signing with the team for $80 million over four years.
No. 45: Paul Pierce
Sport: basketball
Income: $21.8 million
Age: 33
Pierce has deals with Nike, Spalding, Steiner Sports, Yahoo Sports and insurer UCI to supplement his $19.8 million salary.
No. 47: CC Sabathia
Sport: baseball
Income: $21.4 million
Age: 30
Yankees signed Sabathia to largest contract ever for a pitcher before 2009 season worth $161 million.
No. 47: Matthew Stafford
Sport: football
Income: $21.4 million
Age: 22
The 2009 No.1 pick signed a six-year, $72 million deal with Lions, richest ever for a draft choice.
No. 49: Vince Carter
Sport: basketball
Income: $21.3 million
Age: 33
Carter has one year left on his contract with the Magic that will pay him $17.3 million.
No. 50: Lance Armstrong
Sport: cycling
Income: $21 million
Age: 39
Nike has sold more than 70 million of its ubiquitous LiveStrong bracelets, inspired by Armstrong to fund cancer research.
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