Top 50 Sports Earnings List: Jordan Leads with $4.5 Billion, James at $2.03 Billion Ranked Fourth

Today, the renowned sports industry media Sportico released a list of the 50 highest-earning athletes in sports history. Among them, LeBron James has currently earned $2.03 billion, ranking fourth historically in sports.

By the end of 2025, the total earnings of the top 50 highest-earning athletes in sports history, adjusted for inflation, amounted to $56.2 billion, while the nominal value totals $40 billion. They come from 10 different sports and 17 different countries. NBA players lead the list with 13 selections, headed by Michael Jordan. Serena Williams is the only female athlete included. The complete list is as follows:

This earnings estimate is based on conversations with industry insiders, Sportico's research, and historical estimates from media such as Forbes and Sports Illustrated. Earnings include salaries, bonuses, prize money, endorsement fees, licensing fees, royalties, memorabilia income, book publishing income, media income, appearance fees, and stadium design fees. Salary portions are not counted until deferred compensation is actually paid.

Included cash earnings include proceeds athletes receive from equity held in sponsoring companies when those companies are sold, such as LeBron James' stake in Beats Electronics and James Harden's stake in BodyArmor.

Additionally, Lionel Messi's equity in Inter Miami CF as part of his club agreement, and equity payments made by Authentic Brands Group to acquire marketing rights for David Beckham and Shaquille O'Neal are also counted. The list does not include traditional investment returns.

Sportico's calculations include athletes' earnings during their careers and post-retirement up to 2025, adjusted for inflation. For Arnold Palmer and Kobe Bryant, earnings are calculated up to their passing. All earnings are pre-tax and do not deduct any fees paid to agents or lawyers.

The athletes entering the top 50 come from 10 sports, including three motorsports, with most being retired and only 18 still active. Jordan leads the 13 NBA players on the list. Golf is the second most represented sport with 8 athletes. Next is boxing with 7, led by Floyd Mayweather, whose inflation-adjusted earnings are $1.57 billion, ranking him 10th historically.

Twenty athletes have earnings reaching or exceeding $1 billion, while the entry threshold for the list is $595 million, held by retired Formula One driver Kimi Räikkönen.

Jordan's immense earnings are largely attributed to the contract he signed with Nike early in his NBA career, subsequently acquiring Nike company equity and Jordan Brand royalties.

Jordan's estimated earnings in 2025 are $275 million, primarily from Nike. This surpasses the highest-earning active athlete Cristiano Ronaldo, whose total salary and endorsement income that year was $260 million.

This income brings Jordan's estimated career total earnings to $3.28 billion, adjusted for inflation to $4.5 billion. In the global ranking of highest-earning athletes historically, he has widened his lead over Tiger Woods. Woods' nominal earnings since turning professional are $1.97 billion, with actual earnings at $2.88 billion.

During the peak of the Curry brand, Under Armour generated hundreds of millions in revenue annually, but later declined to between $75 million and $100 million. In November 2025, Under Armour announced it would not renew its contract with Curry. Currently, Curry is not signed to any sports brand and has entered a period of wearing various sneakers during games.

James has a keen investment eye, pursuing equity and long-term value. His most successful investments includeBeats by Dre, Liverpool Football Club, Blaze Pizza, SpringHill Media Company, and Fenway Sports Group. Although James is at the very end of his career, aged 41 and temporarily hindered in pursuing team success, this does not diminish his enormous success as a player transitioning into a business model.

From a childhood spent living with various relatives, frequently changing schools, and coming from a humble background in the slums, to transforming into an NBA historical figure worth $2.03 billion, LeBron James has made it big!