Money in sports isn't what it used to be. Seriously.
If you looked at the bank accounts of the 100 top paid athletes a decade ago, you’d see big numbers, sure. But today? The scale has shifted so violently that "rich" feels like an understatement. We are talking about individuals who aren't just players; they are sovereign financial entities.
The barrier to entry for the top 50 alone has skyrocketed. In 2024, you needed about $45 million just to sit at the table. By 2025, that "entry fee" jumped nearly 20% to over $53 million. If you aren't clearing fifty mil, you're basically invisible in the elite tier.
The Saudi Effect and the $200 Million Floor
You can't talk about the 100 top paid athletes without mentioning the Middle East. It changed everything.
Cristiano Ronaldo is the obvious poster child here. He didn't just top the list; he broke it. Earning roughly $275 million in a single year is a number that feels fake, yet his Al-Nassr contract—estimated at $200 million annually on the pitch—is very real. It's a salary that makes even the most lucrative NBA "supermax" deals look like a starter's wage.
Then you have the golfers. Jon Rahm’s jump to LIV Golf was the equivalent of a financial earthquake. When he moved, his earnings shot up to an estimated $218 million, placing him second only to Ronaldo for a significant stretch. It's a weird time for golf. The sport is fractured, but the players' pockets have never been heavier.
Why the Top 10 Doesn't Tell the Whole Story
Most people focus on the big three: Ronaldo, Messi, and LeBron. But the real story is in the "middle class" of the top 100.
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Take a guy like Dak Prescott. In 2025, he hauled in around $137 million. Most of that—roughly $127 million—came from his "day job" with the Dallas Cowboys. Compare that to Shohei Ohtani. Ohtani is arguably the biggest star in baseball history, yet his on-field salary for 2025 was a measly **$2.5 million** because of massive deferrals.
How does he stay in the top 10? Endorsements.
Ohtani brings in $100 million off the field. He is a walking billboard in two hemispheres. It's a fascinating split:
- The Salary Kings: NFL and Soccer players (Dak Prescott, Karim Benzema, Tyson Fury).
- The Brand Kings: Basketball and Baseball icons (LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Shohei Ohtani).
The Disappearing Act of Women in the Top 50
Honesty time: the gender pay gap in the 100 top paid athletes list is still a massive, gaping hole.
In 2025, not a single female athlete cracked the top 50. Not one. Coco Gauff led the women's rankings with about $33 million, followed by Aryna Sabalenka at $30 million. These are incredible sums, but they aren't enough to get them a seat next to the 50th-ranked man, who earns over $53 million.
Tennis remains the only real "equalizer" where women can even get close, mainly because the endorsement market for female tennis stars is global and fierce. Outside of tennis, the numbers drop off a cliff. We're seeing growth in the WNBA with stars like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, but their earnings (mostly from Nike, State Farm, and Gatorade) are still in the $9M to $12M range.
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It’s a different world.
Basketball’s Massive Depth
If you want to know which sport "owns" the top 100, it’s basketball. Period.
The NBA’s salary cap is a monster that keeps growing. In the most recent tallies, 16 of the top 50 earners were basketball players. That is almost a third of the list from one league.
Names like Giannis Antetokounmpo ($94.4M) and Kevin Durant ($101.4M) are constants. But now we're seeing the younger generation—Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic—climbing the ranks with supermax extensions that haven't even fully kicked in yet. By 2027, we might see the first $80 million-per-year NBA salary.
The Weird World of Deferred Money and "Soft" Earnings
Don't believe every headline.
When you hear "Shohei Ohtani signed for $700 million," you assume he's getting $70 million a year. He isn't. He’s getting $2 million. The rest is essentially a pension plan.
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This makes ranking the 100 top paid athletes a nightmare for accountants. Do you count the money promised? Or the money in the bank? Most experts, including those at Forbes and Sportico, use "present value" or actual cash flow.
Then there’s the "off-field" income. This includes:
- Equity stakes: LeBron James doesn't just get a check from Blaze Pizza; he owns a chunk of the company.
- Apparel deals: Stephen Curry’s "Curry Brand" under Under Armour is a long-term play for billionaire status.
- Appearance fees: For golfers and F1 drivers, just showing up can net six figures.
What This Means for the Future of Sports
Basically, we are entering the era of the Athlete-VC.
The guys at the top of the 100 top paid athletes list aren't buying cars anymore; they are buying sports teams. Lionel Messi’s deal with Inter Miami included a slice of the pie. Patrick Mahomes has ownership stakes in the Royals and Sporting KC.
The distinction between "player" and "owner" is blurring.
If you're looking to track these numbers yourself, don't just look at the salary. Watch the sponsorships. Watch the equity deals. That's where the real "top paid" status is won.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Investors
- Follow the TV deals: The NBA's new media rights deal starts in 2025-2026. This will trigger another massive jump in salaries.
- Watch the "Emerging" Sports: F1 is seeing a massive surge. Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen are now permanent fixtures in the top 25, with Hamilton clearing $80M even in "off" years.
- Look at the 25-and-under crowd: The next generation (Haaland, Edwards, Alcaraz) is signing bigger first-contracts than legends like Jordan or Tiger Woods signed in their entire careers.
The ceiling is gone. The 100 top paid athletes of tomorrow won't just be millionaires; they'll be a list of the world's most influential CEOs who happen to play a game on the weekends.
Next Steps:
- Audit your understanding of "salary vs. total earnings" by comparing Shohei Ohtani’s actual 2025 cash flow to Cristiano Ronaldo’s.
- Monitor the 2026 World Cup sponsorship cycles, as these will likely push Messi and Ronaldo to record-breaking off-field heights.