30 Highest Paid Athletes of 2020

13 min readDec 12, 2020

Additional Reporting: Christina Settimi And Kellen Becoats

Paydays for the world’s top-earning athletes dropped for the first time in four years, according to the 2020 Forbes ranking as the coronavirus wreaked havoc on sports and canceled or postponed many marquee events for the first time since World War II.

#37 Grady Jarrett

Earnings: 33.1 M
Endorsements: $0.05 M
Salary/Winnings: $33 M
Citizenship: United States
Source of Wealth: Football

The Atlanta Falcons signed Jarrett to a four-year, $68 million contract extension in July 2019. The deal included a $18 million signing bonus and ranked third by average annual value for NFL defensive tackles. Jarrett paid immediate dividends on the new pact with his first Pro Bowl selection in 2019 after 7.5 sacks during the season. He tied a Super Bowl record with three sacks in the Falcons’ loss to the New England Patriots to end the 2016 NFL season.

#36 Kylian Mbappe

Earnings: $33.8 M
Endorsements: $13 M
Salary/Winnings: $20.8 M
Citizenship: France
Source of Wealth: Soccer

The Frenchman is on full contract with Paris Saint-Germain until 2022, making over $20 million annually plus performance bonuses. In 2018, 19-year old Mbappé became the youngest Frenchmen to score in a World Cup and the second-youngest after Pele to score in a World Cup Final. The star forward won Ligue 1’s 2019 Player of the Year Award and was its 2018–19 and 2019–20 top goal scorer. Nike released Mbappé’s first Mercurial shoe in December 2019. Watchmaker Hublot made Mbappé its first active player global ambassador in 2018.

#35 Chris Paul

Earnings: $35 M
Endorsements: $6 M
Salary/Winnings: $29 M
Citizenship: United States
Source of Wealth: Basketball

Chris Paul was dealt from Houston to Oklahoma City in 2019 with three years left on the four-year, $160 million extension he signed in 2018. His 2019–20 NBA salary, $38.5 million before a reduction for the pandemic, was tied for the second-highest in the league. The former Rookie of the Year is a ten-time All-Star, four-time All-NBA first teamer and a two-time Olympic gold medal winner with Team USA. An off-court star, Paul is a regular in commercials for State Farm; he’s also been the president of the NBA players union since 2013.

#34 Mohamed Salah

Earnings: $35.1 M
Endorsements: $12 M
Salary/Winnings: $23.1 M
Citizenship: Egypt
Source of Wealth: Soccer

Salah signed a five-year deal with Liverpool in July 2018 that is heavily incentivized for his performance. He was the club’s top goal scorer in both Premier League and Champions League competitions for the 2018–19 and 2019–20 seasons. The so-called Egyptian King helped propel his club to a second consecutive UEFA Champions League Final in 2019. Adidas made Salah the face of its iconic 1970s-born Adicolor line of sportswear and had him appear to walk on water in a 2019 ad campaign. The Reds fans celebrate him by singing “If he scores another few then I’ll be Muslim too”; he is credited for reducing Islamophobia in Liverpool.

#33 Serena Williams

Earnings: $36 M
Endorsements: $32 M
Salary/Winnings: $4 M
Citizenship: United States
Source of Wealth: Tennis

Serena Williams has more than a dozen corporate partners, and her $93 million in career prize money is twice as much as any other female athlete. The 23-time Grand Slam winner is known not only for her prowess on the courts but for her business acumen as well. She has invested in more than 30 startups over the past six years through Serena Ventures in a portfolio worth at least $10 million. Serena Ventures is focused on companies founded by women and minorities, which is where 60% of the investments have gone so far. She launched a self-funded, direct-to-consumer clothing line, S by Serena, in 2018. She also owns stakes in the Miami Dolphins and UFC.

#32 Sebastian Vettel

Earnings: $36.3 M
Endorsements: $0.3 M
Salary/Winnings: $36 M
Citizenship: Germany
Source of Wealth: Auto Racing

Sebastian Vettel is one of only five Formula One drivers to win at least four World Championships. His title run came from 2010 to 2013 while the German driver raced for Red Bull. Vettel has not won a title since his move to Ferrari in 2015, but the paycheck has been much better at nearly $40 million per year. The driver and his team are expected to part ways at the end of 2020 when his contract expires. Vettel has eschewed all personal endorsement opportunities in recent years.

#30 (tie) Damian Lillard

Earnings: $37 M
Endorsements: $14.5 M
Salary/Winnings: $22.5 M
Citizenship: United States
Source of Wealth: Basketball

Lillard is currently under contract with Portland through the 2024–25 season at an average salary of more than $40 million per year. His Adidas signature shoe line is among the company’s top NBA sellers; the latest addition, the $110 Dame 6, was released during the 2019–20 season. The former Rookie of the Year and five-time All-Star has led the Trail Blazers to the playoffs in every year of his career. Lillard has released three studio albums under his rap name, Dame D.O.L.L.A. He’s also a global ambassador for the Special Olympics. His track “Money Ball” is featured on the NBA 2K20 soundtrack; Lillard extended his 2K Sports endorsement in 2019.

#30 (tie) Canelo Alvarez

Earnings: $37 M
Endorsements: $2 M
Salary/Winnings: $35 M
Citizenship: Mexico
Source of Wealth: Boxing

#29 Naomi Osaka

Earnings: $37.4 M
Endorsements: $34 M
Salary/Winnings: $3.4 M
Citizenship: Japan
Source of Wealth: Tennis

#28 Klay Thompson

Earnings: $38.8 M
Endorsements: $14 M
Salary/Winnings: $24.8 M
Citizenship: United States
Source of Wealth: Basketball

#27 Rafael Nadal

Earnings: $40 M
Endorsements: $26 M
Salary/Winnings: $14 M
Citizenship: Spain
Source of Wealth: Tennis

#26 Julio Jones

Earnings: $40.5 M
Endorsements: $3 M
Salary/Winnings: $37.5 M
Citizenship: United States
Source of Wealth: Football

#25 Phil Mickelson

Earnings: $40.8 M
Endorsements: $40 M
Salary/Winnings: $0.8 M
Citizenship: United States
Source of Wealth: Golf

#24 Kyrie Irving

Earnings: $41.9 M
Endorsements: $18 M
Salary/Winnings: $23.9 M
Citizenship: United States
Source of Wealth: Basketball

#23 Novak Djokovic

Earnings: $44.6 M
Endorsements: $32 M
Salary/Winnings: $12.6 M
Citizenship: Serbia
Source of Wealth: Tennis

#22 Drew Brees

Earnings: $44.8 M
Endorsements: $15 M
Salary/Winnings: $29.8 M
Citizenship: United States
Source of Wealth: Football

#21 Tom Brady

Earnings: $45 M
Endorsements: $12 M
Salary/Winnings: $33 M
Citizenship: United States
Source of Wealth: Football

#20 Deontay Wilder

Earnings: $46.5 M
Endorsements: $0.5 M
Salary/Winnings: $46 M
Citizenship: United States
Source of Wealth: Boxing

#19 Anthony Joshua

Earnings: $47 M
Endorsements: $11 M
Salary/Winnings: $36 M
Citizenship: United Kingdom
Source of Wealth: Boxing

#18 Giannis Antetokounmpo

Earnings: $47.6 M
Endorsements: $28 M
Salary/Winnings: $19.6 M
Citizenship: Greece
Source of Wealth: Basketball

#17 James Harden

Earnings: $47.8 M
Endorsements: $19 M
Salary/Winnings: $28.8 M
Citizenship: United States
Source of Wealth: Basketball

30 Highest Paid Athletes of 2020

Written by Santokumar