Top Ten Best Earning Athletes

Below are the annual earnings of the top best paid athletes in US Dollar

1. Tiger Woods, Golf ($110 million)
The highest paid athlete in history as well. Despite the personal problems and knee injury, he still managed to earn $110 million last year. During the last 13 years of his career, he managed to earn around $900 million from tournament prizes money and commercials. At this rate he will soon become the first athlete to reach $1 billion of earnings.

2. Kobe Bryant, Basketball ($45 million)
The "Black Mamba" earns a total of $45 including endorsements. He is one of the greatest basketball players in NBA history, winning his 4th title with Los Angeles Lakers. His jersey is a top seller in the USA and other countries as well.

3. Micheal Jordan, Basketball ($45 million)
Already retired as a basketball player, but the NBA legend is still earning tons of money due to his endorsements with Nike and the Jordan brand. He is very close to reaching $1 billion of sales alone.

4. Kimi Raikkonen, Auto Racing ($45 million)
His earnings do not exactly match his achievements as he failed to win the world champion title after 2007. However, the F1 driver still manages a $45 million yearly income from endorsement in addition to his high wage at Ferrari.

5. David Beckham, Soccer ($42 million)
Not the best footballer in the world but definitely the most famous and highest paid. The former Man United/Real Madrid and current LA Galaxy man manages $42 million of earnings in endorsement from Armani and Adidas in addition to fixed a wage from his club.

6. LeBron James, Basketball ($40 million)
The NBA’s MVP has teams jumping around trying to sign him up if they can afford his wages. The Cavs offer the highest salaries under NBA rules but he might still switch teams in peruse of even higher earnings.

7. Phil Mickelson, Golf ($40 million)
The twice Masters champion is already a legend in the golf world haven won countless number of tournaments. Being second to Tiger Woods did not stop him from enjoying lucrative sponsorships from high profile brands such as Barclay and Rolex.

8. Manny Pacquiao, Boxing ($40 million)
Pac-Man is has established himself as one of the most prominent boxers in the world. Beating both Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton has generated around $100 million of income alone. He was listed in Time’s most 100 influential people.

9. Valentino Rossi, Motorcycle Racing ($35 million)
Having already eight world championship titles in his bag, Rossi is the biggest star in the motorcycling industry. His Yamaha salary is around $16 million alone. Other earnings come from endorsement and sponsorships.

10. Dale Earnhardt Jr., NASCAR ($ 34 million)
He is one of the most popular NASCAR drivers ever to appear in the sport. He had poor performances compared to his rivals but when it comes to money, there is no match in his industry.