The 25 highest paid athletes of 2017

Rose finished up the final season of a five-year, $94 million deal as a member of the New York Knicks early in the year before moving on to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The majority of Rose’s income now comes from his shoe deal with Adidas, that brings him over $10 million per year.

The Dodgers' ace continued to be the highest paid player in baseball, earning $33 million for his exploits on the diamond. His runner-up finish in National League Cy Young Award voting triggered a $500,000 bonus, while deals with Under Armour, Topps, Wilson Sporting Goods and Art of the Game brought his endorsement earnings near $1 million.

Although Alonso’s results on the track have declined in recent years, he continues to benefit from a $150 million sponsorship pact he inked with McLaren-Honda in 2015. Alonso also took home $300,000 for racing in the Indy 500 in May. Endorsement deals with Citigroup and Pirelli boost his take home further.

Tiger recently returned to the links at the Hero World Challenge tournament after missing all of 2016 due to injuries. Although he did not earn a dime from competition on the year, he still is counted among the top earners in the sport. He is one of the greatest endorsement earners of all time, having received over $1 billion since breaking into golf 20 years ago. Nike, Upper Deck, Bridgestone, TaylorMade and Monster Energy are among the many companies he draws on.

No player has won more prize money in history than Djokovic, who has earned $108 million on the court. Injuries cut into Djokovic’s earnings over the last year, as he won only two tournaments and failed to take a Grand Slam title for the first time since 2012. Deals with Lacoste, Adidas and Seiko highlight the 30-year-old's endorsement portfolio.

Spieth won five times on the calendar year, including the The Open Championship in July. He took home just over $9 million on the links, while taking home just short of $30 million via endorsements with Titleist, AT&T, Wheaties, Coca-Cola, Under Armour and Rolex, among others.

The Portland Trail Blazers guard made just over $24 million in 2017 as a part of a six-year contract extension he inked in 2015, and he will see $140 million from it over its lifetime. Lillard is also one of the most active endorsers in the NBA, with a massive contract with Adidas. He also fronts products from Toyota, State Farm, McDonalds, Panini and Powerade.

The four-time Formula One champion is in the final year of a deal with Ferrari that earns him nearly $40 million per year. After going winless in 2016, Vettel finished second in F1 behind Lewis Hamilton in 2017, picking up five victories on the year. The German driver also has deals with Head & Shoulders, Red Bull and Casio.

Westbrook became the first player in 50 years to average a triple-double, a feat that earned him NBA MVP honors. He also took home $26 million on the court and added another $12 million off it, as one of Nike's and True Religion’s biggest faces. The 29-year-old guard is poised make big leap up the ranks of highest earning athletes next season, when the six-year, $233 million extension he signed in September kicks in — the largest contract in NBA history.

Although Lefty has not picked up a PGA Tour win since 2013, he remains one of the highest earning golfers in the world based on largely on his endorsement presence. Mickelson made an estimated $40 million for representing Rolex, Intrepid Financial Partners, ExxonMobil, Amgen and Callaway Golf. Mickelson remains the second-highest earning golfer of all time.

The cornerstone of the New Orleans Saints is pulling down $31.3 million in 2017, the final year of his current deal. Much of it is derived from the $30 million signing bonus he received before the 2016 season. Brees is also one of the NFL’s most active pitchmen, as he made an estimated $14 million from Nike, Verizon, Pepsi, Proctor & Gamble, Microsoft, Wrangler and more.

Hamilton has won 19 races over the past two years and took home the Formula One World Championship in 2017. It was his fourth all time, and he has not finished lower than second since 2013. Hamilton is the middle of a $140 million deal that includes bonus incentives as well. He is the highest paid driver in the world and is one of the most marketable athletes in all of Europe and the United Kingdom, with sponsorships from L’Oreal, Puma, Monster Energy and Bose.

Harden got a big boost up the earnings ladder when he became the first player to benefit from the NBA’s new supermax contract structure. The Houston Rockets inked their star to a four-year, $160 million extension that drove the total value of his current deal to six-years, $228 million. It is the richest deal in NBA history, and when coupled with his 13-year endorsement deal with Adidas, "The Beard" is sitting pretty at the bank.

While "luck" has not been on his side in regard to making it onto the field, Luck remains one of the biggest earners in the NFL. The Indianapolis Colts quarterback is at the heart of a five-year, $123 million deal he inked before the 2016 season that will bring him $24.6 million in 2017. When coupled with the annual value of the signing bonus that came along with his extension and a handful of endorsement deals headlined by Nike, Luck is doing just fine as he works his way back in 2018 for the Colts.

While McIlroy has dealt with a handful of injuries over the last year and recently saw his management firm take a massive hit, he is still easily the top earner on the links. McIlroy took home $6 million from on-course winnings in 2016, along with an additional $10 million for capturing the FedEx Cup. Add in a big 10-year extension with Nike and his equipment deal with TaylorMade and promotional deal with EA Sports, and he is golf’s highest earner.

In August, the Detroit Lions inked their 29-year-old quarterback to the richest contract in NFL history, when they agreed to a five-year, $135 million extension. It was accompanied by a $50 million signing bonus that was paid up front, making it the highest earning season in NFL history. Stafford also enjoys endorsement pacts with Nike, Pepsi and Ford Motor Co. as well.

KD may be taking the patient route in regard to maxing out his NBA earnings, as he opted to take a below market value deal to remain in his new digs with the Warriors. While $26 million per year on the court is nothing to sneeze at, Durant has become truly industrious off of it in maximizing both his endorsement and investment reach. The NBA Finals MVP has an estimated $34 million annual return from endorsement deals with Nike, Beats by Dre, Acorns, 2K Sports, Panini and Banco Bilbao Vizcaya. Durant’s annual worth could skyrocket once he signs a long-term deal underneath the NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement as well.

For "The Notorious One," this is a low-end estimate, as his guarantee for his bout with Floyd Mayweather was rumored to be $30 million but could reach well beyond $75 million. Couple that with the estimated $34 million he had already earned prior to September’s spectacle bout and new endorsement deals he has inked with Anheuser-Busch/InBev, Beats by Dre and his own promotions company, McGregor is the runaway biggest financial gainer on the year.

Curry’s rise to superstardom occurred at a coupon rate, as he won two MVP awards and NBA titles while being outside of the top five in salary — on his own team. However, the Warriors rewarded his patience with a five-year, $201 million deal in July, the NBA’s first supermax deal. Curry is now the NBA’s highest paid player and couples it with an estimated $34 million in endorsements from Under Armour, JP Morgan Chase and Brita, among others.

At 36, Federer enjoyed a major renaissance in 2017, winning a pair of Grand Slam championships at the Australian Open and Wimbledon. Overall, he won seven times on the year and netted $11.7 million from competition. Federer continues to draw from a who’s who of endorsers as well, with Nike, Mercedes-Benz, Credit Suisse and Moet-Chandon promotions landing him an estimated $58 million on the year.

The world’s most expensive soccer star, Neymar is an earnings powerhouse both on and off the pitch. He garnered a massive five-year, £450 million deal ($535 million in U.S. dollars) to transfer from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain in August and pulls down £515,000 per week. He also takes home an estimated $22 million a year in endorsement deals with Nike/Jordan Brand, Red Bull, Beats Electronics, Gillette and Panasonic.

The Argentine superstar is the highest paid soccer player in the world, as he took home $53 million on the year from Barcelona. He could be up with an even bigger increase on his forthcoming extension. Away from the field, Messi pulled in an estimated $27 million from endorsement deals with Adidas, EA Sports and Gatorade, among others.

Between his basketball and business earnings, James topped all American team sports earners, pulling down $31.2 million on a one-year contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers. In addition, he is the NBA’s busiest endorser, collecting checks from Nike, Intel, Beats by Dre, Verizon and Coca-Cola. He is also a rising presence in the entertainment industry via his SpringHill Entertainment Co. that enjoys partnerships with Fox and Starz.

It was another incredible year for Ronaldo, who won his fourth FIFA Men’s Best Player in the World award in the last five years. He inked a four-year, $200 million extension that will pay him $50 million annually. In addition, he inked a $1 billion lifetime extension with Nike that will pay out north of $30 million this year alone. Endorsements with Tag Heuer and HerbaLife add even more to his substantial pot.

Money Mayweather again lived up to his name in 2017, as his one-night guarantee take home from his clash with Conor McGregor made him the highest earning athlete in the world for the year. What’s more, the $100 million represented here is the floor of what he could earn, as it was his guaranteed take for the fight. After everything is paid out from the pay-per-view and gate, Mayweather could cross the $200 million threshold, at least.