The 10 Highest-Paid Athletes In The World In 2025 May Not Be Who You’d Think

It seems like everywhere you look these days, some professional athlete is signing an absolutely gigantic new contract or endorsement deal.

In the year 2000, the NFL salary cap for an entire team was $63.2 million. The highest-paid player in the NFL this season is set to make more than double that thanks to some unique accounting.

Meanwhile, oil states are investing ungodly amounts of money in upstart leagues, attracting some of the world’s biggest stars.

Today, we’re counting down the 10 highest-paid athletes on the planet in 2025.

The World’s 10 Highest-Paid Athletes

For the purpose of the exercise, we will not be including influences such as the Paul brothers or KSI. To qualify, you must be a full-time athlete.

However, we are including money made from off-field ventures, which accounts for athletes who have a contract structure that pays them more in endorsement money than it does playing salary.

So, without further ado, here are the 10 highest-paid athletes in the world in 2025.

10) Kevin Durant – $101.4M

Kevin Durant, who is about to enter his 18th season in the NBA, is still one the league’s premier players, and he’s paid like so.

Durant was traded from the Phoenix Suns to the Houston Rockets in the offseason and will make $51.4 million on the court this season, according to Forbes. But what’s perhaps even more surprising is that he’ll make a further $50M off the court.

The future Hall of Famer holds stakes in multiple sports teams, including UEFA Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain, and is the principal owner of the media company Boardroom, which launched a premium subscription service and partnered with Fanatics.

9) Shohei Ohtani – $102.5M

Shohei Ohtani’s 10-year, $700 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers broke the internet when it was first announced. But it didn’t take long for it to pay off for both sides.

Ohtani, the reigning NL MVP (and favorite to repeat in 2025) led the Dodgers to a World Series victory in his first season with the team and could well repeat the feat this season.

The bizarre thing is, Ohtani will make just $2.5 million for LA in 2025 due to a massive amount of deferred money on his contract. Instead, the Japanese superstar will rake in $100 million from endorsement deals from brands including New Balance, Beats by Dre, and Japanese companies such as Kose skincare and Seiko watches.

8) Karim Benzema – $104M

Former Real Madrid star Karim Benzema is the beneficiary of the aforementioned growth of sports in Saudi Arabia.

The French striker followed Cristiano Ronaldo, among others, to the Saudi Pro League in 2023, signing for one of the league’s most prolific clubs, Al-Ittihad.

While he does have some endorsement deals, namely from Adidas, Benzema makes the majority of his money from a massive $100M salary.

7) Juan Soto – $114M

When the New York Mets signed Juan Soto to a 15-year, $765 million deal in December, they did so with championship aspirations. But while Soto was fantastic in 2025, hitting 43 home runs and stealing a National League-high 38 bases, the Mets failed to live up to expectations and missed the playoffs entirely with a loss to the Marlins on the final day of the season.

Still, Soto more than pulled his weight, and he was handsomely compensated for doing so. In addition to his base salary, Soto took home a whopping $75 million signing bonus to make him the highest-paid player in the league in 2025.

Unlike Ohtani, Soto reeled in a relatively meager $5 million in endorsements in 2025 from partners such as Celsius energy drinks and Presidente beer in his native Dominican Republic.

6) LeBron James – 133.8M

No list of the world’s highest-paid athletes would be complete without the biggest star in the NBA, LeBron James.

While James has finally started to show signs of slowing down at the age of 40, he’s still one of the best players on the planet, and he’s paid like it. James will make $48.8 million from the Los Angeles Lakers in 2025. But it’s off the court where his fortune it most impressive.

Alongside Tiger Woods, James is one of only two active athletes to become billionaires, and it’s easy to see how when you look through his portfolio. Not only does James hold a significant stake in his media platform SpringHill Company, he also holds stakes in Fenway Sports Group, Blaze Pizza, and tequila brand Lobos 1707.

5) Lionel Messi – $135

While $135M is nothing to sneeze at, it almost feels like Lionel Messi is too low on this list. The legendary soccer star is set to rake in $60M from MLS club Inter Miami this season, despite the club failing to win any of its available trophies thus far.

Messi is reportedly in the process of negotiating a new deal that will keep him at the club through at least 2026.

Off the field, the Argentinian has been just as successful financially, raking in $75M through deals with companies such as Adidas, as well as the launch of his own production company named 525 Rosario.

4) Dak Prescott – $137M

By far the most surprising inclusion on this list comes at No. 4, with Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott making a first-time appearance in the top 10.

Real ball knowers will tell you just how good Prescott is, but it’s still crazy that he’s the only NFL player on this list, ahead of names such as Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, or Josh Allen.

Prescott makes the list thanks to some unique accounting from the Cowboys. Not only will he make $60M in the first year of a recent contract extension, he’ll also rake in an additional $45.75M after restructuring his deal to create more cap space, converting a large chunk of his base salary into additional signing bonus. Add that to the massive signing bonus he’d already had in place and $10M in off-field endorsement deals and Prescott is easily the NFL’s highest earner.

3) Tyson Fury – $146M

Fury, like Benzema before him and a future name on this list, is the beneficiary of Saudi Arabia spending insane amounts of money on sporting events.

The former World Heavyweight Champion, who has since been dethroned by Oleksandr Usyk (who just missed the list at No. 11), reeled in all but $6M of his $146M in earnings from two fights with Usyk.

Following the two losses, Fury took to social media to announce his retirement. But he had also done so previously, only to return to the ring not long after. If this is the end of the line for the superstar British boxer, he walks away with two massive paydays in his back pocket.

2) Steph Curry – $156M

The title of highest-paid NBA player and American athlete on this list falls to none other than Golden State Warriors superstar Steph Curry.

Not only is Curry the highest-paid player in the NBA for the 2025-26 season, but he’s also done an incredible job of building his brand off the court. The two-time NBA MVP has his hands in a little bit of everything, including a massive endorsement deal with Under Armour and an ownership stake in the upstart Unrivaled women’s basketball league.

Additionally, like Durant and James, Curry has launched his own TV and film production company named Unanimous Media, which released the documentary “Sentenced” and the comedy series “Mr. Throwback” in 2025.

1) Cristiano Ronaldo – $275

If Lionel Messi had not reportedly turned down a massive deal to play in the Saudi Pro League, he’d have likely found himself atop this list.

Instead, that honor goes to longtime rival Cristiano Ronaldo, who joined Saudi side Al-Nassr in 2023 in a jaw-dropping deal that sees him make $225M for his on-field contributions (and, of course, to promote Saudi Arabia).

But Ronaldo isn’t exactly slacking off the field, either. The Portuguese star recently invested in brands such as Whoop, Vista Alegre, and Bioniq.

On top of that, he has a wildly popular YouTube channel with nearly one billion followers.