The athlete with the highest salary is Cristiano Ronaldo, topping Forbes' 2025 list with estimated earnings of $275 million, largely from his move to Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr, followed by basketball stars like Stephen Curry and boxers like Tyson Fury. Ronaldo has held the top spot for multiple years, with earnings combining his on-field salary and significant off-field endorsements.
The highest paid athlete in the world in the 2024/2025 season was Cristiano Ronaldo. The Al-Nassr soccer star took home total earnings of 275 million U.S. dollars, of which an estimated 50 million U.S. dollars were off-field earnings through endorsements.
The top 5 highest-paid sports by average salary are: 1) Basketball (NBA) - $11.91M, 2) Baseball (MLB) - $4.66M, 3) Soccer (Premier League) - $4.1M, 4) Ice Hockey (NHL) - $3.5M, 5) American Football (NFL) - $2.7M.
Magic Johnson joins the billionaire club, becoming the fourth athlete to reach this milestone, alongside Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Tiger Woods.
Michael Jordan is the undisputed leader when it comes to the highest paid athletes in history.
Michael Jordan destroys No. 2 Tiger Woods in highest paid athletes of all time list. GOATs across all sports square off, and His Airness is in a league of his own by over $1 billion. Check out the entire Top 10 and where they all stack up.
Here's a breakdown of the top athlete billionaires, showing how each one built a billion-dollar empire through sports, branding and business. From Tiger Woods to Michael Jordan, these legends didn't just play the game — they mastered the art of wealth.
Top 50 Richest Athletes
Coco Gauff was the highest-paid female athlete of 2025, earning $33 million. (via Forbes)
I love Bugatti's. They are beasts." "But I don't drive.
How much does a Big 3 Basketball make? As of Jan 10, 2026, the average annual pay for a Big 3 Basketball in the United States is $37,729 a year. Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $18.14 an hour. This is the equivalent of $725/week or $3,144/month.
The No. 1 earner this year is Cristiano Ronaldo with $275 million, and LeBron James follows with $133.8 million. As we move through this list, we see how Olympic-linked athletes are now among the richest sports stars on the planet.
1970's: The million dollar contract
At the time the sum was considered absurd. However, it was soon superseded by baseball player Dave Parker, who in 1978 signed a 5-year contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates for $5 million, making him the first professional athlete to earn $1 million per year.
Messi, one of the world's top footballers, has an estimated net worth of around $600 million. Cristiano Ronaldo, who is equally celebrated in the football community, has a net worth estimated between $550 million and $600 million. Together, their total net worth reaches approximately $1.2 billion.
The four NBA billionaires are Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Magic Johnson, and former player Junior Bridgeman, with Jordan being the wealthiest, followed by LeBron, Magic, and Bridgeman, who built significant wealth through fast-food franchises and other businesses after his playing career.
Cristiano Ronaldo tops Forbes' list of the world's highest-paid athletes for 2025 with $275 million, followed by Stephen Curry at $156 million and Tyson Fury at $146 million. From the pitch to the ring, these athletes are cashing in both on and off the field.
According to Forbes, Jordan's net worth is an estimated $3.8 billion. Per the outlet, he earned $90 million from NBA contracts across 15 seasons, and his off-court partnerships — including major deals with brands like Nike, Gatorade, Hanes and McDonald's — have brought in an estimated $2.4 billion pre-tax.
💰 According to Forbes magazine, Michael Jordan is the richest athlete of all time. The legendary basketball player has a fortune that exceeds $3,500 MILLION DOLLARS. 🏀 Jordan was in the NBA for 16 years, but only earned $94 million during his career.
The tennis legend stands as one of just seven athletes to have crossed $1 billion in career pretax income while active in their sport, along with Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, golfers Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, soccer players Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, and boxer Floyd Mayweather.
Kim was officially declared a billionaire by Forbes in 2021 thanks to the unbeatable money machines known as KKW Beauty and SKIMS. Less than a year later, Forbes increased Kim's net worth to $1.7 billion thanks to a new round of funding for SKIMS.
WILMINGTON, N.C. – Today, Michael Jordan announced a $10 million gift to Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center in honor of his mother, Deloris Jordan. In recognition, the medical center's neuroscience institute will be named the Novant Health Deloris Jordan Neuroscience Institute.