With each player taking home a handsome 8.32 million U.S. dollars every year, the NBA is the professional sports league with the highest player wages worldwide. In second place is the Indian Premier League, an annual cricket competition contested each year between eight franchises representing eight different Indian cities.

Big money in the NBA Although the wages that players in the NBA take home are astronomical, the average annual salaries vary from one team to another. Whilst the New York Knicks pay their players an average of 7.08 million U.S. dollars a year, Portland Trail Blazers spent around 10.04 million U.S. dollars annually on each of their stars in 2019/20. NBA salaries have tremendously increased throughout the years reaching 8.32 million U.S. dollars in 2019/20 compared to 4.6 million U.S. dollars in 2015/16.

The highest paid athlete in the world in 2024 was soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, who racked up on and off field earnings of around 260 million U.S. dollars. However, the Portuguese legend was one of only 12 soccer players to make it into the top 100 ranking of highest paid athletes. Meanwhile, 36 stars from the National Basketball Association made it into the top 100.

Explore the progression of average salaries for graduates in Sports Medicine from 2020 to 2023 through this detailed chart. It compares these figures against the national average for all graduates, offering a comprehensive look at the earning potential of Sports Medicine relative to other fields. This data is essential for students assessing the return on investment of their education in Sports Medicine, providing a clear picture of financial prospects post-graduation.

The statistic shows the average player salary of the professional sports teams in Los Angeles in 2018. The Los Angeles Clippers of the NBA had an average player salary of about 7.47 million U.S. dollars in 2018.

Explore the progression of average salaries for graduates in Sports Science And Physical Education from 2020 to 2023 through this detailed chart. It compares these figures against the national average for all graduates, offering a comprehensive look at the earning potential of Sports Science And Physical Education relative to other fields. This data is essential for students assessing the return on investment of their education in Sports Science And Physical Education, providing a clear picture of financial prospects post-graduation.

Explore the progression of average salaries for graduates in Sports Coaching Science from 2020 to 2023 through this detailed chart. It compares these figures against the national average for all graduates, offering a comprehensive look at the earning potential of Sports Coaching Science relative to other fields. This data is essential for students assessing the return on investment of their education in Sports Coaching Science, providing a clear picture of financial prospects post-graduation.

This statistic depicts the average hourly and annual wages of employees working in sporting goods, hobby, book, and music stores across the United States in 2021, by type of occupation. That year, cashiers within the U.S. sports and leisure retail industry made 13.37 U.S. dollars per hour on average. First-line supervisors and managers of retail sales workers made an average of almost 22 U.S. dollars an hour.

Explore the progression of average salaries for graduates in Sports Development With Leisure And Tourism from 2020 to 2023 through this detailed chart. It compares these figures against the national average for all graduates, offering a comprehensive look at the earning potential of Sports Development With Leisure And Tourism relative to other fields. This data is essential for students assessing the return on investment of their education in Sports Development With Leisure And Tourism, providing a clear picture of financial prospects post-graduation.

Graph and download economic data for Employed full time: Median usual weekly nominal earnings (second quartile): Wage and salary workers: Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations: 16 years and over: Men (LEU0254645200A) from 2000 to 2024 about sport, second quartile, arts, entertainment, occupation, full-time, males, salaries, workers, earnings, 16 years +, wages, median, employment, and USA.

Salaries for professional sportswomen in volleyball, handball, soccer or basketball leagues varied slightly in 2019. During that year, the basketball league paid its athletes the most with an average monthly salary of 3,700 euros. The average salary observed among the clubs in the first soccer division was 3,500 euros. Women's rugby was not included in this study. Among the masculine colleagues of female soccer players, the club with the lowest average salary was the Stade de Reims with more than 20,000 euros per month.

Graph and download economic data for Employed: Paid below prevailing federal minimum wage: Wage and salary workers: Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations: 16 years and over (LEU0204842200A) from 2000 to 2024 about sport, arts, paid, entertainment, occupation, minimum wage, salaries, workers, 16 years +, federal, wages, employment, and USA.

Michael Jordan is the undisputed leader when it comes to the highest paid athletes in history. The basketball legend and former Chicago Bulls star was estimated to have earned a staggering 3.75 billion U.S. dollars throughout his career, thanks to his on-court accomplishments, endorsements, and ownership of the Charlotte Hornets. Jordan's enduring popularity and iconic status have cemented his place as one of the greatest athletes of all time.

Golfers earning big bucks on and off the course

Interestingly, the three of the next five athletes on the list of highest paid athletes of all time are all golfers. Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods all earned a significant amount of money during their careers. These golfing greats managed to secure lucrative endorsement deals with major brands and also enjoyed success on the golf course, with multiple major championships to their names.

Cristiano Ronaldo leads the way for soccer players

Soccer can be considered one of the most popular sports in the world and the highest soccer player in the ranking of highest paid athletes is Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese superstar was in third place on the list, with estimated lifetime earnings of over 1.5 billion U.S. dollars. Ronaldo's on-field achievements, combined with his large numbers of social media followers make him one of the most recognizable and highest-paid athletes of all time.

Gender pay gap in sport

In terms of female athletes, Serena Williams was the highest placed athlete on the list, coming in at 40th place, with lifetime earnings of 630 million U.S. dollars. Williams is widely regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time and won an impressive 23 Grand Slam titles during her career. She has also been a vocal advocate for women's rights and equal pay in sports, paving the way for future generations of female athletes to succeed and prosper. Serena Williams' relatively low rank on the list of highest paid athletes of all time is indicative of the gender pay gap that exists in sports. Despite being one of the most successful and dominant tennis players in history, Williams earned significantly less than many of her male counterparts. For example, Roger Federer, who won fewer Grand Slam titles than Williams, ranked ninth on the list, having earned almost 1.50 billion U.S. dollars throughout his career.

This disparity in earnings is not unique to tennis, as it is a pervasive issue in sports across the board. Female athletes are often paid less than male athletes for performing the same job, even when they achieve comparable levels of success and generate similar levels of revenue. This gender pay gap within sports can be attributed to a variety of factors, including differences in media coverage, sponsorships, and endorsement deals.

Graph and download economic data for Employed full time: Median usual weekly nominal earnings (second quartile): Wage and salary workers: Entertainers and performers, sports and related workers, all other occupations: 16 years and over: Men (LEU0254646000A) from 2000 to 2011 about performance, sport, second quartile, entertainment, occupation, full-time, males, salaries, workers, earnings, 16 years +, wages, median, employment, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Employed full time: Median usual weekly nominal earnings (second quartile): Wage and salary workers: Athletes, coaches, umpires, and related workers occupations: 16 years and over: Women (LEU0254752500A) from 2000 to 2011 about umpires, sport, second quartile, occupation, females, full-time, salaries, workers, earnings, 16 years +, wages, median, employment, and USA.

The statistic ranks sports teams from all over the world by the average pay per player in the 2018/19 season. The FC Barcelona of the NBA had the highest average player salary with players making an average of 12.28 million U.S. dollars in 2018/19.

Graph and download economic data for Employed full time: Wage and salary workers: Agents and business managers of artists, performers, and athletes occupations: 16 years and over: Men (LEU0254581200A) from 2000 to 2024 about performance, agents, sport, management, arts, occupation, full-time, males, salaries, workers, 16 years +, business, wages, employment, and USA.

Explore the progression of average salaries for graduates in Sports Technology from 2020 to 2023 through this detailed chart. It compares these figures against the national average for all graduates, offering a comprehensive look at the earning potential of Sports Technology relative to other fields. This data is essential for students assessing the return on investment of their education in Sports Technology, providing a clear picture of financial prospects post-graduation.

Wages: Arts, Sports & Recreational: 1 to 9 data was reported at 2,364.129 KRW th in Jan 2020. Wages: Arts, Sports & Recreational: 1 to 9 data is updated monthly, averaging 2,364.129 KRW th from Jan 2020 (Median) to Jan 2020, with 1 observations. Wages: Arts, Sports & Recreational: 1 to 9 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Ministry of Labour. The data is categorized under Global Database’s South Korea – Table KR.G056: Monthly Average Wages: by Industry and Size of Enterprise: KSIC 10th Revision.

Basketball is a commonly watched sport both in the United States and worldwide. The National Basketball Association is a professional basketball league for men with 30 teams competing against each other in the United States. Over the past years, NBA has gained significant popularity and a significant increase in players' salaries has made it one of the best paid sports league worldwide. In 2019, the NBA's average annual salary reached 8.32 million U.S. dollars per player and total salaries approximated to 3.67 billion U.S. dollars.

Explore the progression of average salaries for graduates in Sports Media And Information from 2020 to 2023 through this detailed chart. It compares these figures against the national average for all graduates, offering a comprehensive look at the earning potential of Sports Media And Information relative to other fields. This data is essential for students assessing the return on investment of their education in Sports Media And Information, providing a clear picture of financial prospects post-graduation.