Highest Paid Athletes

There is nothing as fulfilling as doing what you love and getting paid some serious millions for doing it.

The world of sports it’s literally a different ball game when it comes to the amount of cash these individuals make yearly, monthly and even weekly.

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Athletes are idolized worldwide; they are a symbol of hope to the young and a source of entertainment/ pride to the old. These guys are always in the media, seen and loved by millions daily.

With such recognition and visibility, sponsors are always crawling behind the best of them all; ready to dig deep into their accounts to have these athletes represent their brands. So how much do these top athletes really make? Here is a compilation of the top 10 highest paid athletes in the world (2016):

10. Kobe Bryant

Highest Paid Athletes

  • Nationality: American
  • Date Of Birth: 23 August 1978
  • 2016 Earnings: $50 million in salary and endorsements

Kobe Bean Bryant is a retired professional basketball player and businessman. He played his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He entered the NBA directly from high school and won five NBA championships with the Lakers. Kobe is an 18-time All-Star, a 15-time member of the All-NBA Team, and a 12-time member of the All-Defensive team.

9. Jordan Spieth

Highest Paid Athletes

  • Nationality: American
  • Date Of Birth: 27 July 1993
  • 2016 Earnings: $52.8 million in salary and endorsements

Jordan Alexander Spieth is a professional golfer on the PGA Tour and former world number one in the Official World Golf Ranking. He is a two-time major winner and the 2015 FedEx Cup champion.

8. Phil Mickelson

Highest Paid Athletes

  • Nationality: American
  • Date Of Birth: 16 June 1970
  • 2016 Earnings: $52.9 million in salary and endorsements

Philip Alfred Mickelson is a professional golfer. He has won 42 events on the PGA Tour, including five major championships: three Masters Titles (2004, 2006, 2010), a PGA Championship (2005), and an Open Championship (2013).

7. Cam Newton

Highest Paid Athletes

  • Nationality: American
  • Date Of Birth: 11 May 1989
  • 2016 Earnings: $53.1 million in salary and endorsements

Cameron Jerrell Newton is an American football quarterback for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Auburn and was drafted as the first overall pick by the Panthers in the 2011 NFL Draft.

Newton is the only player in the modern era to be awarded the Heisman Trophy, win a national championship, and become the first overall pick in an NFL draft within a one-year span.

6. Novak Djokovic

Highest Paid Athletes

  • Nationality: Serbian
  • Date Of Birth: 22 May 1987
  • 2016 Earnings: $55.8 million from salary and endorsements

Novak Djokovic is a professional tennis player who is currently ranked world No.1 in men’s singles tennis by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). He is considered one of the greatest tennis players of all time.

5. Kevin Durant

Highest Paid Athletes

  • Nationality: American
  • Date Of Birth: 29 September 1988
  • 2016 Earnings: $56.2 million in salary and endorsements

Kevin Wayne Durant is a professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Durant has won an NBA Most Valuable Player Award, four NBA scoring titles, the NBA Rookie of the Year Award, and two Olympic gold medals. He has also been selected to six All-NBA teams and seven All-Star teams.

4. Roger Federer

Highest Paid Athletes

  • Nationality: Swiss
  • Date Of Birth: 8 August 1981
  • 2016 Earnings: $67.8 million in salary and endorsements

Roger Federer is a professional tennis player who is currently ranked world No. 7 by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). His accomplishments in professional tennis have led to him being regarded by many as the greatest tennis player of all time.

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Federer turned professional in 1998 and has been continuously ranked in the top 10 since October 2002.

3. LeBron James

Highest Paid Athletes

  • Nationality: American
  • Date Of Birth: 30 December 1984
  • 2016 Earnings: $77.2 million in salary and endorsements

LeBron Raymone James is a professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). LeBron has won three NBA championships (2012, 2013, 2016), four NBA Most Valuable Player Awards (2009, 2010, 2012, 2013), three NBA Finals MVP Awards (2012, 2013, 2016), two Olympic gold medals (2008, 2012), an NBA scoring title (2008), and the NBA Rookie of the Year Award (2004).

He has also been selected to 12 NBA All-Star teams (named the game’s MVP twice), 12 All-NBA teams, and six All-Defensive teams, and is the Cavaliers’ all-time leading scorer.

2. Lionel Messi

Highest Paid Athletes

  • Nationality: Argentine
  • Date Of Birth: 24 June 1987
  • 2016 Earnings: $81.4 million in salary and endorsements

Lionel Andrés “Leo” Messi is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Spanish club FC Barcelona and the Argentina national team.

Often considered the best player in the world and rated by many in the sports world as the greatest of all time, Messi is the only football player in history to win five FIFA Ballons d’Or, four of which he won consecutively, and the first player to win three European Golden Shoes. With Barcelona, he has won eight La Liga titles and four UEFA Champions League titles, as well as four Copas del Rey.

1. Cristiano Ronaldo

Highest Paid Athletes

  • Nationality: Portuguese
  • Date Of Birth: 5 February 1985
  • 2016 Earnings: $88 million in salary and endorsements

Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro is a professional footballer who plays for Spanish club Real Madrid and the Portugal national team. He is a forward and serves as captain for Portugal. In 2008, he won his first Ballon d’Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards. He then won the FIFA Ballon d’Or in 2013 and 2014. In 2015, Ronaldo scored his 500th senior career goal for his club and country.

Ronaldo was named the best Portuguese player of all time by the Portuguese Football Federation, during its 100th-anniversary celebrations in 2015. He is the only player to win four European Golden Shoe awards. One of the most marketable athletes in sport, in 2016 Forbes named Ronaldo the world’s best paid athlete. In June 2016, ESPN ranked him the world’s most famous athlete.