Forbes: LeBron, Durant, Kobe among top-10 highest-paid athletes

It's good to be the king.

Forbes released its list of the world's highest-paid athletes on Thursday, and LeBron James tops all NBA players, ranking sixth among athletes globally. The list takes salary, additional winnings and bonuses, and endorsements into account, estimating James' annual earnings at $64.8 million.

The list is NBA-heavy at the top, with Kevin Durant (seventh, $54.1 million) and Kobe Bryant (10th, $49.5 million) also cracking the top-10. Of the top-100, 18 came from the NBA, including 11 in the top-50.

Bryant's rank comes as somewhat of a surprise, as he's the NBA's highest-paid player with a $23.5-million salary for 2014-15. That didn't give him the necessary edge to top James and Durant, who made $20.6 million and $19 million, respectively, this season.

Floyd Mayweather headed up the list, nearly doubling the next highest-earner, recent opponent Manny Pacquiao. At No. 6, James was the highest ranked player from North American-based team sports, behind the two pugilists, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi of the soccer world, and tennis star Roger Federer.