Cristiano Ronaldo is the only athlete in the world who makes more money than LeBron James
Cristiano Ronaldo is once again the highest-paid athlete in the world, according to Forbes magazine.
For the second straight year, the Real Madrid star came out on top of the magazine’s annual list of the 100 top money makers in sports, earning $93 million in salary, winnings and endorsements during the last 12 months.
Ronaldo earned the majority of his money, $58 million, on the field rather than through endorsements.
Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James switched places with FC Barcelona’s Lionel Messi on this year’s list to finish at No. 2. Of the $86.2 million James added to his bank account, $55 million came from endorsements.
No. 3 Messi made $80 million during the past year, including $53 million in salary and bonuses.
The next two spots remained the same as last year, with tennis star Roger Federer at No. 4 ($64 million) and the Golden State Warriors’ Kevin Durant at No. 5 ($60.6 million).
The top 10 is rounded out by the Indianapolis Colts’ Andrew Luck ($50 million), golfer Rory McIlroy ($50 million), the Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry ($47.3 million), the Houston Rockets’ James Harden ($46.6 million) and Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton ($46 million).
The top 100 list also featured three Clippers players (Chris Paul at No. 35, Blake Griffin at No. 44 and DeAndre Jordan at No. 85), two Dodgers (Clayton Kershaw at No. 28 and Adrian Gonzalez at No. 94) and one Angel (Albert Pujols at No. 49). The Angels were also still paying off the contract of former player Josh Hamilton, who was No. 66.
Tennis star Serena Williams was the only woman to crack the top 100. She’s at No. 51 with $27 million.
Twitter: @chewkiii
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