Highest-Paid Athletes in the World 2022 (Sportico)
This is the second year Sportico has published a list of the highest earning athletes from around the world. Below is the top-10 of the highest earning athletes for 2022 taken from the list of 100 highest-paid athletes published in 2022.
The top earner for 2022 was US basketballer LeBron James, with earnings totalling 126.9 million US dollars. Last year's winner Conor McGregor dropped to 22nd. There were two women in the top-100, Naomi Osaka (20th) and Serena Williams (52th). Cricketer Virat Kohli was ranked 61st.
Compare this to the Forbes highest earners for 2022. See also the Sportico top-earning lists from other years.
Top-10 Highest Earning Sports people from 2022
| Rank | Name | Sport | Nationality | Earnings* ($ million) | last year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LeBron James | Basketball | USA | 126.9 | 5 |
| 2 | Lionel Messi | Soccer | Argentina | 122 | 2 |
| 3 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Soccer | Portugal | 115 | 3 |
| 4 | Neymar | Soccer | Brazil | 103 | 6 |
| 5 | Canelo Álvarez | Boxing | Mexico | 89 | 12 |
| 6 | Stephen Curry | Basketball | USA | 86.2 | 10 |
| 7 | Kevin Durant | Basketball | USA | 85.9 | 9 |
| 8 | Roger Federer | Tennis | Switzerland | 85.7 | 7 |
| 9 | James Harden | Basketball | USA | 76 | 16 |
| 10 | Tiger Woods | Golf | USA | 73.5 | 13 |
Next on the list were: Matthew Stafford, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Russell Westbrook, Tyson Fury, Josh Allen, Tom Brady, Deshaun Watson, Klay Thompson, Lewis Hamilton, Naomi Osaka
* note: The earnings totals (in US dollars) from endorsements, licensing, memorabilia and appearances over the last 12 months are estimated by Sportico.
LeBron JamesRelated Pages
- Other Sportico Earnings Lists
- Forbes lists of the highest paid athletes
- Sports Illustrated Top Paid Lists.
- Highest paid sportswomen
- Most popular athletes of the world
- The Year in Sport - 2022
Any comments, suggestions, or corrections? Please let us know.
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