The commercialisation of sport in recent times has grown exponentially. From sponsorship deals to advertisements, the most famous sportspeople in the world are sought after.
We live in a time where we know our favourite athletes outside of the sports they play, with social media and internet accessibility giving us an insight to their everyday lives and following them wherever they go.
Celebrity athletes can bolster their finances significantly with the huge platforms they have obtained, marketing all sorts of products and signing expensive deals with corporations.
It begs the question: who are the highest-paid athletes ever?
Thanks to a list compiled by Sportico, we count down the 50 highest-paid athletes of all time, calculated through their Inflation-Adjusted Earnings. (You can find the Non-Inflation-Adjusted Earnings on the right.)
Who are the highest-paid athletes of all time?
50) James Harden: $510m – $435m (Basketball)
49) Chris Paul: $520m – $425m (Basketball)
48) Canelo Alvarez: $525m – $460m (Boxing)
47) Carmelo Anthony: $530m – $410m (Basketball)
46) Drew Brees: $535m – $425m (American Football)
45) Dwyane Wade: $540m – $410m (Basketball)
43) Rory McIlroy: $545m – $450m (Golf)
43) Kimi Raikkonen: $545m – $400m (Formula 1)
42) Russell Westbrook: $550m – $465m (Basketball)
41) Novak Djokovic: $575m – $470m (Tennis)
40) Andre Agassi: $590m – $350.1m (Tennis)
38) Serena Williams: $600m – $459.7m (Tennis)
38) Evander Holyfield: $600m – 310.2m (Boxing)
35) Fernando Alonso: $610m – $470m (Formula 1)
35) Kevin Garnett: $610m – $415m (Basketball)
35) Gary Player: $610m – $355m (Golf)
33) Conor McGregor: $615m – $530m (UFC)
33) Magic Johnson: $615m – $405m (Basketball)
32) Dale Earnhardt Jr: $620m – $450m (NASCAR)
31) Ernie Els: $625m – $425m (Golf)
30) Derek Jeter: $645m – $450m (Baseball)
29) Stephen Curry: $655m – $565m (Basketball)
28) Rafael Nadal: $660m – $525m (Tennis)
27) Oscar De La Hoya: $665m – $410.3m (Boxing)
25) Peyton Manning: $675m – $490m (American Football)
25) Valentino Rossi: $675m – $485m (MotoGP)
24) George Foreman: $680m – $355m (Boxing)
23) Jeff Gordon: $685m – $459.7m (NASCAR)
22) Tom Brady: $690m – $550m (American Football)
21) Manny Pacquiao: $725m – $560m (Boxing)
20) Alex Rodriguez: $745m – $525m (Baseball)
19) Lewis Hamilton: $790m – $640m (Formula 1)
18) Kevin Durant: $850m – $710m (Basketball)
17) Neymar: $855m – $735m (Soccer)
16) Mike Tyson: $875m – $455m (Boxing)
15) Greg Norman: $1B – $635m (Golf)
13) Kobe Bryant: $1.05B – $755m (Basketball)
13) Shaquille O’Neal: $1.05B – $700m (Basketball)
12) David Beckham: $1.28B – $965m (Soccer)
11) Michael Schumacher: $1.31B – $810m (Formula 1)
10) Phil Mickelson: $1.36B – $1.03B (Golf)
9) Roger Federer: $1.38B – $1.1B (Tennis)
8) Floyd Mayweather: $1.41B – $810m (Boxing)
7) Lionel Messi: $1.48B – $1.22B (Soccer)
6) LeBron James: $1.53B – $1.23B (Basketball)
5) Cristiano Ronaldo: $1.58B – $1.29B (Soccer)
4) Jack Nicklaus: $1.63B – $870m (Golf)
3) Arnold Palmer: $1.7B – $885m (Golf)
2) Tiger Woods: $2.5B – $1.77B (Golf)
1) Michael Jordan: $3.3B – $2.37B (Basketball)
