LeBron named NBA's highest-paid athlete by Forbes
David Richard / USA TODAY Sports
LeBron James appears to be the King both on and off the court.
The Cleveland Cavaliers star was listed as No. 3 by Forbes on its world's highest-paid athletes list on Wednesday, finishing tops among all NBA players.
James brought in a total $77.2 million last year, with $23.2 million coming from salary and $54 million from endorsements.
Soccer stars Cristiano Ronaldo ($88 million) and Lionel Messi ($81.4 million) topped the list, while tennis player Roger Federer ($67.8 million) and Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant ($56.2 million) rounded out the top five.
| Rank | Player | Earnings |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Kobe Bryant | $50M |
| 28 | Derrick Rose | $34.1M |
| 31 | James Harden | $32.8M |
| 33 | Dwyane Wade | $32M |
| 36 | Carmelo Anthony | $30.9M |
| 37 | Chris Paul | $30M |
| 42 | Kyrie Irving | $27.6M |
| 46 | Dwight Howard | $26.9M |
| 49 | Blake Griffin | $26.1M |
Expect James to headline the list for years to come after agreeing to a lifetime deal with Nike earlier this winter that is reportedly worth over $1 billion.