Top five athletes who earned a fortune through brand endorsem*nts in 2022 | SportsMint Media (2024)

FAQs

What athlete made the most from endorsem*nts in 2022? ›

Cristiano Ronaldo & Nike

A lifetime endorsem*nt deal with Nike is set to exceed $1 Billion making him arguably the richest of all Nike sponsored athletes in the world. Ronaldo also rakes it in from other endorsem*nts with brands such as Herbalife, EA Sports, and American Tourister.

Rounding out the top five: Jon Rahm ($203 million), Lionel Messi ($130 million), LeBron James ($125.7) and Kylian Mbappé ($125 million), based on estimated earnings for 2023 through Dec.

Answer: Lionel Messi's USD 1 billion deal with Adidas in 2017, David Beckham's Adidas deal worth USD 168 million, George Foreman's deal with Salton Inc, worth over USD 138 million and Tiger Woods' deal with Nike worth USD 100 million are some of the most highly paid endorsem*nts.

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Currently, Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes is drawing in the largest amount of revenue through sponsorship deals and endorsem*nts out of any current active player in the league, as he has generated a rough estimate of around $20 million throughout his career on just these deals alone.

The Iowa star-turned-No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft has agreed to an eight-year, $28 million contract with Nike that features a signature shoe, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday. That gives Clark the most lucrative shoe deal in women's basketball history.

Being the greatest, most influential and the most popular athlete of his generation has made Jordan a face of many brands. Apart from his path-breaking Nike endorsem*nt, MJ has been sponsored by companies like Hanes, Gatorade, Upper Deck, Coca-Cola, McDonald's, Wheaties, and Chevrolet.

PHOENIX (AP) — Kevin Durant and Nike have agreed to a lifetime contract, making him just the third NBA player to receive such a deal, joining Michael Jordan and LeBron James. The 13-time All-Star has a relationship with Nike that dates back to 2007, releasing 15 different sets of shoes.

What is the richest sport? ›

Currently the NBA's highest-paid active player, LeBron James reached billionaire status in 2022, according to Forbes. And he's certainly not waiting for retirement to expand his empire.

Ronaldo, Messi ($130 million) and LeBron James ($119.5 million) have all reached that threshold before, but the other five—Mbappé and Johnson, plus boxing champion Canelo Álvarez ($110 million), Mickelson ($106 million) and NBA sharpshooter Stephen Curry ($100.4 million)—earned nine figures for the first time.

Ronaldo's income via endorsem*nts far outstrips Messi's, and makes him one of the world's richest athletes. The pair have become so marketable throughout their careers that their closest competitors have earned less than half of the sums gained by Ronaldo and Messi.

Footballer Cristiano Ronaldo was the most-followed athlete on Instagram with over 481 million followers. Ronaldo is also the overall most-followed person on Instagram, as well as on Facebook. Second-ranked Lionel Messi had over 361 million Instagram followers.

King James reigns supreme

Thanks to his wide range of endorsem*nts, the Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James total earnings amounted to 117.6 million U.S. dollars during the 2023/24 season.

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Currently, Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes is drawing in the largest amount of revenue through sponsorship deals and endorsem*nts out of any current active player in the league, as he has generated a rough estimate of around $20 million throughout his career on just these deals alone.

His salary during his career totaled $90 million, but he has earned $2.4 billion (pre-tax) from such corporate partners as Nike, Hanes and Gatorade. MJ joined sports-betting firm DraftKings as a special advisor to the board and an investor in September 2020.