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.

Of the 10 highest paid athletes in the world in 2023/24, five of the top ten spots were taken by soccer players, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi sitting in first and third place, respectively. Meanwhile, golf star Jon Rahm's on- and off-field earnings of nearly 120 million U.S. dollars put him in second place. Messi vs. Ronaldo continues Despite the ongoing debate among fans and in the media about who is the better soccer player between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, it is the former that led the way in terms of total earnings in 2023/24. As well as winning an incredible amount of trophies, Ronaldo is winning off the pitch, too, thanks to a lucrative sponsorship deal with Nike, and endorsements with DAZN, Electronic Arts, and Tag Heuer. Meanwhile, seven-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi had an equal share of on- and -off field earnings, which totaled 135 million U.S. dollars. Ronaldo also had the edge over Messi on certain social media platforms, claiming the title of most followed athlete on Instagram. The Portuguese star has over 480 million followers on the social media site, while Lionel Messi has a "mere" 361.01 million. Where are all the women? One notable absence in the list of highest paid athletes is any female athletes. In fact, the highest paid female athletes took home a fraction of the earnings of their male counterparts. Tennis star Iga Świątek topped the list of sportswomen, having taken home almost 10 million U.S. dollars in prize money and a further 14 million U.S. dollars in endorsements in 2023. Świątek consistently ranked in the top 10 of the WTA's ranking of female tennis players worldwide, and her endorsements include companies such as Visa, Porsche, and Rolex.

Average salary data for major professional sports leagues worldwide

Stephen Curry was the top-earning player in the National Basketball Association (NBA) between May 2024 and 2025, with on court earnings of 56 million U.S. dollars and endorsements worth 100 million U.S. dollars. Trailing the legendary point guard was another basketball icon, LeBron James, with total earnings of 133.8 million U.S. dollars. NBA revenue streams Players in the NBA have two main sources of revenue: salaries from the team, and endorsements from companies and brands. NBA players not only have deals with sports brands such as Nike and Adidas, but also with consumer products such as Coca-Cola, Panini, Kia Motors, and Red Bull, to name a few. Shoe deals are particularly profitable for NBA players. Michael Jordan, for example, still profits from endorsements, as his signature Air Jordan shoes have a large share of the basketball shoe market. King James reigns supreme Although Steph Curry earned more in 2024/25, LeBron James remained the NBA player with the highest cumulative career earnings as of May 2025, with over half a billion U.S. dollars in on-court earnings. As a four-time MVP winner and the NBA's all-time highest scorer, James' earnings have certainly been backed up by his on-court performances.

As of May 2025, the player in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the highest cumulative career earnings was LeBron James, with total earnings of approximately 528.7 million U.S. dollars. LeBron James has played for the Los Angeles Lakers since 2018. Prior to his career with the Lakers, James also played for the Miami Heat and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Cristiano Ronaldo was the highest-earning soccer player in the world in 2025, being paid around 275 million U.S. dollars a year. The bulk of this sum came from on-field income, such as salary and bonuses. Meanwhile, Lionel Messi earned around 135 million U.S. dollars per year, with a larger share coming from off-pitch income. Who is better, Messi or Ronaldo? Messi and Ronaldo have been compared throughout their careers, with both players having exceptional ability. On the one hand, Ronaldo is the record goal scorer in the UEFA Champions League and holds many of the individual records in the competition. However, Messi has the one medal that Ronaldo could never win: the World Cup. The Argentinian lifted the famous trophy in 2022 after an exhilarating tournament, in which he scored seven goals. Ronaldo and Al-Nassr: an example of sportswashing? Ronaldo is undoubtedly the most well-known player to ever play in the Saudi Pro League, earning a salary more than most people can only dream of. Outside of soccer, Saudi Arabia’s investment in sporting events has been substantial, and human rights organizations have accused the country of using sport to whitewash – or sportswash – human rights abuses. Following his move to Al-Nassr, Amnesty International called on Ronaldo to bring attention to human rights issue in the country. Ronaldo, meanwhile, said he wanted to provide a different vision of the club and country.

The leading eSports player worldwide ranked by overall earnings was Johan Sundstein. Originally from Denmark and also known as N0tail, Sundstein has earned over seven million U.S. dollars throughout his recorded eSports gaming career. The rise of eSports Video gaming is no longer a pastime of purported home-dwellers or arcade-loitering individuals; the professionalization of this activity has now validated it as a career choice for talented players to earn millions and sign lucrative sponsorship deals. What is more, the easy accessibility of eSports has been attracting audiences of all kinds. In 2022, 261 million eSports enthusiasts were identified to regularly follow the industry, with an even larger number of occasional viewers who tuned in to watch the bigger events. This figure is projected to grow steadily to a total of almost 650 million by 2025. eSports market growth Even though eSports is still in its formative stage, its market is already experiencing a rapid growth. In 2025, worldwide revenues generated in the eSports market amounted to an estimated 4.78 billion U.S. dollars. By 2029, the market is expected to generate almost 5.93 billion U.S. dollars. These revenues come from sponsorship, prize pools and tournaments, but overwhelmingly from betting, which was estimated to bring in around 2.8 billion U.S. dollars in 2025.

The graph depicts the earnings of golf player Tiger Woods from 1996 to 2016. In 2010, Tiger Woods' off-court earnings amounted to 72 million U.S. dollars. His total earnings from 1996 to 2014 add up to about 1.37 billion U.S. dollars.

Tiger Woods’ golf career - additional information

Eldrick (Tiger) Woods, born in California in 1975, is not only one of the most successful professional golf players of all time, but also one of most accomplished athletes worldwide. Throughout his career he has broken a number of records, but he is also credited for having changed the way the sport was both played and perceived by the public. He was consistently named “the youngest” to win a certain title, including the youngest Masters champion ever (at 21) and in a sport dominated by white players, he was the first major championship winner of African or Asian descent. Overall he has won 106 tournaments, out of which four were Masters titles and 79 were on the PGA TOUR.

His father first introduced him to golf before the age of two and he made several television appearances as a prodigy player throughout his childhood. Before turning professional at age 20 in August 1996, Woods had an impressive amateur career, which included titles such as Golf Digest Player of the Year in 1991 and 1992, Golf World Player of the Year in 1992 and 1993, Golfweek National Amateur of the Year in 1992 and Golf World Man of the Year in 1994, as well as records such as winning six United States Golf Association national championships and the National Collegiate Athletic Association title. He was also the youngest player ever to win the U.S. Junior Amateur at 15 and the youngest ever to win the U.S. Amateur at 18.

As a result of his many wins, Woods has earned hundreds of millions on the course, but has also made very lucrative endorsement deals with major companies off the course, from Gillette to Buick or Gatorade. He most notably started a deal with Nike in 1996, which was famously renewed in 2000 for a reported 105 million U.S. dollars for a period of six years. This contract was renewed again in 2006 and 2013 for undisclosed sums, which contributed to his status as the richest golf player and one of the best paid athletes in the world.

Conor McGregor, aka Notorious, is the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighter with the highest career earnings directly from UFC fights, with approximately 25.3 million U.S. dollars. This does not include any undisclosed pay-per-view bonuses or any other bonuses.

American professional sports leagues are known for paying their players handsomely and Major League Baseball is no different. The highest earner in the MLB in 2024 was the starting pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Shohei Ohtani. The three-time All-Star took home a base salary of 70 million U.S. dollars in the 2024 season. MLB salaries The MLB has both a minimum player salary and a competitive balance tax (also called Luxury Tax) in place to ensure the league remains competitive and that no single team can buy its way to victory. In 2024, the minimum player salary stood at 740 thousand U.S. dollars, a generous increase from the minimum salary of 500 thousand U.S. dollars ten years earlier. However, because of the astronomical earnings of some of the star players in the league, the average player salary across the MLB was 4.98 million U.S. dollars in 2024. If a team’s payroll exceeds a certain figure, they are forced to pay a luxury tax in order to discourage the largest teams from buying the best players in the league. In 2024, this payroll cap was 237 million U.S. dollars. MLB revenue on the up In 2024, teams of Major League Baseball generated around 378.13 million U.S. dollars on average in revenue per team. The New York Yankees sat top of the pile as the franchise generated revenue of 679 million U.S. dollars. On the other end of the scale, the Oakland Athletics had revenue of 241 million U.S. dollars in 2024.